Hey.
Hi. I've been looking for you two.
-MICHAEL: Hey. -Hi, yeah.
I got your text. We just
needed to get together and, uh,
think things through.
Okay. Well, what's there to think about?
As far as I'm concerned,
it's business as usual,
full steam ahead.
I have a list of some candidates
to replace all of those slugs
that Victor bullied into quitting.
I have some good ones here.
I think that Victor actually did us a favor.
It's too late, Phyllis.
What? Too late for what?
What are you talking about?
You have to understand that there's a very good chance
that you could lose the company, or worse.
[laughs] Why? Because of Victor's threats?
And his ability to carry them out.
Oh, he doesn't scare me.
I don't care, really, Michael.
Seriously. And with you...
running my defense,
going head to head with Victor
and his little lackey Christine,
they don't stand a chance.
Here are some of the emails that were discovered
when we took back control of Chancellor.
Well, there are many more where that came from, but...
it will give you an idea of what Phyllis was up to.
She stole from us.
She cheated us, and she deserves
to go down in flames.
And I know that you're as anxious as I am
to make her pay for all of the damage that she's caused.
♪♪
So...
Sienna didn't say anything more
last night?
Just that she killed Matt.
She kept repeating it over and over again.
And every time I would ask for more details,
she...shut down.
She did seem nervous about
talking to the police, though.
She said that to you?
I told her it had to have been in self-defense,
but she got really agitated, so I just...
stayed quiet.
Well, maybe it wasn't self-defense.
No. Sienna?
No, not a chance.
You don't know that, Noah.
And God knows, I would understand
if she did do it deliberately.
But she's got to let it out.
She can't bury something like that.
It'll eat her alive. I know that from experience.
Maybe you should be the one to talk to her.
I mean, you're the professional. You've been through it.
I'm just afraid I'm gonna do or say the wrong thing.
Even after he's gone,
he still claims victims.
I know exactly how she's feeling.
To think that Matt is finally out of your life
and he can never hurt you again,
only to have him turn up and inflict even more pain.
I will go easy on her.
But I need to know that Matt Clark
will not be turning up again.
That's the only way that any of us
will find any real peace.
Well, it was a close call...
but the trip to Vegas was worth it.
We found Matt Clark.
Well, it sounds a little to me like Matt Clark found you.
Yeah, there were some, uh, mistakes made.
Mostly by me.
Adam is the one who stepped up. He really came through.
That is not accurate.
We both made mistakes along the way.
But we're here now,
and we're sorry for giving you so much worry
on top of everything else that you're dealing with.
How's your health, my boy?
Well, that's one of the ways I really messed up.
What do you mean, you messed up?
You mean by allowing Matt Clark
to slip some tainted drugs into your drink or whatever?
Nick didn't know what was in them,
but he's okay now.
Boys, what are you not telling me?
How can you be okay when you just got home?
ADAM: They gave him some medication
that reversed the effects of the bad fentanyl.
So it's out of his system now.
VICTOR: Guys, come on. What I don't understand
is how did you allow Matt Clark
to make you take drugs?
Oh, uh, what's this?
That is a list of names and the resumes of people
that I chose to replace the slugs who quit, so...
I know you want things to be business as usual,
but it's not.
And we can't afford to be in denial.
Now, tell us-- tell us what Victor said.
Uh--uh--
Wait. You spoke to Victor?
Oh, I tried to broker a deal.
Why did you not inform me of that?
Because all Victor wanted to do was deliver a message to me
to give to you.
I don't care about his messages.
I don't wanna hear anything he has to say.
Well, you need to care, Phyllis.
Why?
Why, Michael, because the great Victor Newman has spoken?
He's a treacherous son of a bitch.
-Two can play at that game. -Just stop it, Phyllis.
[softly] Stop it!
You can't beat him.
And you can rant and rave and complain all day
about how unfair it is, but the bottom line...
Victor has all the weapons now.
And he has every intention of using what he has
to destroy you. He will get his company back,
and you will go to prison if you keep fighting him.
I'm giving you the reality of your situation.
[laughs]
Hell, my situation too, if I think about it.
-What does that mean? -Victor just made it
very clear that he would view my representing you
as the ultimate betrayal.
You never told me that.
Well, he said it, and it's real. He means it.
And how did you respond?
That's what this is about, right?
You're afraid that Victor will be mad at you.
That's why you want me to give up.
So you wanna throw me under the bus
to save face with Victor, right?
I'd like to hear the answer to that too.
We should establish something right up front.
Whatever my past experiences have been with Phyllis,
this is purely professional.
I'm not gonna tip the scales one way or the other.
-Understood. -I will go where the facts
and evidence lead me, if, in fact, there is evidence.
Well, if you'll read on,
you'll find that there's plenty of that.
And you and Victor discovered this
by doing a forensic sweep of Chancellor's operating systems?
We were looking for anything that would shine a light
on how Phyllis and Cane took control of Newman Enterprises.
And never, in our wildest imagination,
did we think that we would come across correspondence
that detailed how they did it.
-It's all in here? -Yes.
Names, dates, places.
You'll see there's a clear line of criminal intent.
I mean, but Phyllis was the driver behind all of it.
She's the one who hacked into our systems
and planted the AI virus
that transferred everything that we owned into her name.
You mentioned Cane, so we're going to need to
look into his involvement as well.
Is it just the two of them in this iceberg, or...
or are there other people involved?
Guys, what are you not telling me?
Nicholas?
What are you not telling me? What's going on?
I took fentanyl.
Willingly.
You what?
Yeah, I did, uh...
[sniffling] Some of it was because of Matt.
But most of it was on me.
Oh, boy.
What do you mean, it was on you?
I was in a lot of pain, Dad, after my accident...
I was burning through my prescription meds...
really quickly after I left the hospital.
And I could, uh...
see that it was becoming a problem,
but honestly, I thought that I could manage it.
I was...
I was wrong. I couldn't.
Did a doctor prescribe this damn fentanyl to you or what?
No.
I was out in LA, and, uh, Matt had...
taken Noah and Sienna...
and he gave me this bag of pills
and said I could use it to trade for information
when I went out to that drug warehouse.
He was trying to convince me and Sharon
that Noah was a drug addict.
Is that how it started?
I just put the pills in my pocket of my jacket and...
I came back to Genoa City, and I was in a lot of pain, Dad.
And I was wearing that jacket and I just...
I put my hands in the pocket and...
the pills were there.
I see.
NICK: I was desperate. [sniffling]
I couldn't get any more prescription meds, so...
I took the fentanyl.
You could have died, my boy.
I know.
And I'm deeply ashamed...
...that I was so weak.
But all I can do is stand here
and tell you the truth
that I'm gonna make this right,
and I'll get better.
Nick is already on his way to doing that.
Sharon has set up an appointment with an outpatient facility.
He's gonna do the meetings,
and he's gonna push through this, better than ever.
NICK: You should also know that the only reason
I'm standing here is because of Adam.
Oh, come on.
It's true.
You're gonna ruin my reputation, man.
Every time I fell, you were there to pick me up.
You risked your life to save me,
and that's not something I will ever forget.
Dad. [crying]
I'm so sorry, okay?
I know that this is the last thing you or this family needs.
Come here, my boy.
Come here.
I know you said you didn't want anything,
but this might make you feel better.
Thanks.
Listen, I'm--I'm-I'm...
I'm gonna go to prison.
No.
I killed him, Noah.
No. In self-defense.
I don't remember.
And you are not gonna be punished for this.
I promise.
I'm just glad that you guys are all...
safe.
What do you remember
about what happened?
I mean, you don't have to put it all together now.
Just whatever pops into your head.
His eyes.
His eyes. What about them?
They were just...
It's like they were on fire,
you know? He--he...
It was like he was excited, like he was happy.
It's like he had waited his entire life
for this exact moment, and he...
he had you both and he had Adam and he had Nick,
and you guys were trapped in that building
and he was gonna blow you up.
Did you...try to talk him out of it?
I told him. I told him he didn't have to do this.
[sniffling] I told him...
That he could... he could disappear.
He could start over again, like...like he had before.
And I even tried to convince him that I'd go with him.
-You didn't. -I did. I did.
I was desperate, and it didn't matter, though,
'cause it didn't work, he just--
he got angrier and he got angrier and crazier,
and then he just...
I didn't know what to do, so I just--
I--[strained laugh]
[crying] And I...
By the way, has there been any confirmation
that Matt Clark is dead?
Uh, no. Sienna couldn't even tell us anything more.
She collapsed before she could answer any questions.
Well, where is Sienna now?
We took her to a Las Vegas hospital.
Noah stayed with her. Last time I talked to him,
he said they were heading home soon.
He's probably home by now.
Huh.
And we haven't involved the police...yet,
for obvious reasons, but I have been in touch
with your team in Vegas, bringing them up to speed.
That way, in case the cops do get involved,
they won't ask any questions that lead back to the family.
Good work.
Yeah, I'm gonna head down and talk to Sharon,
see if, uh, Sienna remembers anything else.
You'll be okay?
Yeah. Definitely.
I'm gonna beat this, Dad. Uh...
It's my number one priority.
Okay, my boy. I won't ask you again, okay?
Thank you.
Before we go, though, could you fill us in
on what's going on with the company and Phyllis?
Oh.
Well, I'm happy to say that, on that front,
I have some good news, you know?
I didn't tell Victor I wouldn't represent Phyllis.
I bet you didn't tell him you would, either, did you?
Is that right, Michael?
Well, I, um...
-I'm still contemplating that. -Okay, Michael, Michael.
This is very simple.
You're either in my camp or you're in Victor's camp.
Well, there's nothing simple about this case.
That's why I'm considering all my options.
I wanna do the right thing for all the parties involved.
Well, the right thing for me is to stay out of prison.
The right thing for me and Lauren
is to keep a company we've been working so hard to build.
I'm aware of all of that.
Okay, Michael, none of the other parties matter right now.
Can I count on you or not?
It would mean a lot to me
if you would take Phyllis's case.
Well, as I just said...
I am still contemplating that.
No.
That is not good enough.
I'm with Phyllis on this.
Because the only reason that you wouldn't represent her
is if Victor had gotten to you.
Has he?
Because I really, really thought we were past all of that.
Feel free to dig further.
But the fact is, the emails do exist,
and they prove criminal intent
and Phyllis's name is all over it.
Case closed, as far as I'm concerned.
Yeah, I won't deny these emails are damning,
and it doesn't look like it's just Phyllis and Cane
caught up in this.
The emails also implicate Billy.
I'm aware of that.
I know. I could tell by the look on your face
when I asked if anyone else could be involved.
But, you know, there's actually no direct correspondence
to or from Billy.
He's only mentioned as having played a role.
But if this goes to trial,
Billy's role, whatever it was, will be revealed.
It will be looked at under a microscope.
And if it turns into a crime,
he will go down with Phyllis and Cane.
Okay. Now it's not the DA talking.
It's me.
I know--I know the Newmans lost a lot of money in this takeover,
but Victoria, this would become personal,
so you really have to think about it.
Do you really want the father of your children
caught up in this mess?
We don't have to do this now if you don't want to.
No. No, no, no. I do. I--
I do want to. It's just...
Everything's such a blur.
Well, let's just take it back a little bit.
How did you even know where Matt was?
How did you find him?
I didn't. I didn't know. I just--
I was going to the location that Riza gave me, and I--
I just saw him.
He was stopped on the side of the road.
So I confronted him. I knew he was up to something.
Did he attack you or try to hurt you?
Not at first.
He was actually pretty calm.
It's like...it's like he wanted me to know
what he was gonna do, like...
he was proud of it.
SHARON: You said that you tried to dissuade him?
Yeah, and I thought that I was--
I was actually getting somewhere, you know? But...
[scoffs]
Can't out-mind game Matt.
He is always gonna win.
So...you got angry?
I must have.
But...oh, my God.
-And what happened then? -I don't know.
I don't--I don't know, 'cause I don't--I don't remember.
I remember we were outside of the car...
And Matt was lying on the ground, and he wasn't...
he wasn't moving, and--
I must...
I musta done it, because there was nobody else around.
But I don't remember. I don't remember doing it.
SHARON: Did you check
for a pulse, make sure that he was dead?
He was--he was dead. Ha.
Okay, but you said you don't remember,
and he hasn't turned up dead.
You think that I would make something like this up?
He's dead.
Matt is dead.
NICK: So you found emails
confirming that Phyllis and Cane and Billy
colluded to try and steal the company.
Exactly. A paper trail a mile long.
And you confronted Phyllis with this.
Yep. And she, of course, you know...
determined to fight it in court.
Good luck to her.
So what's the next step?
The next step is that Victoria
is delivering the evidence to the new DA in town
as we speak, and the new DA is Christine Romalotti.
Christine is the new DA. Since when?
As of today.
What happened to her predecessor?
I have no clue. Apparently, she retired due to illness.
And you wouldn't have anything to do with
suggesting Christine as her replacement, would you?
I wish I could take credit for that,
but I had nothing to do with it.
It's a lucky circumstance. Worked out well for us.
Yeah, I mean, it is amazing
that those emails turned up.
I mean, it's...very lucky.
-Indeed. -I don't know.
I guess I just find it hard to believe
that Phyllis and Cane
and even dumb-as-a-box-of-rocks Billy
would leave a paper trail like that, Dad.
Are you a hundred percent sure
that evidence is legit?
Why would I claim it otherwise?
For my children's sake,
of course I don't want Billy drawn into this, you know?
I hate that he has any involvement
to begin with, but, you know, he made the decision
to cheat my mother and my father.
His children's grandmother and grandfather, so...
the chips will fall where they may.
It might be that simple for you is all I'm saying.
I appreciate your concern, I really do,
but family ties didn't mean anything to Billy.
They didn't mean anything to Phyllis.
I mean, she was willing to try to steal
from her own daughter's family.
Summer has disowned Phyllis. You know that, right?
-Daniel told me. -Yeah.
And Daniel doesn't want anything to do with her either.
So what does that tell you?
But Victoria, I'm just trying to point out
this could get so much bigger and uglier
if you fight back.
Knowing you as long as I have, I have to believe
that your children mean far more to you
than any company, even one as grand as Newman Enterprises.
I am doing this for my children.
This is just as much about their future
as it is about mine.
Billy, I mean, he played a part
in the theft and the destruction of the company
that my family spent their entire lives building.
Well, he can take his punishment along with the rest of them.
This case has nothing to do
with my relationship with Victor.
Ha. Of course it does.
He's the one making all of this happen.
Mm. Yes. But unlike the two of you,
I can't afford to get caught up in all the emotion of it
because one of us has to deal with the facts.
There are not facts. Victor's lying.
And you can prove that in court?
Michael, I was sort of hoping you could.
Well, judges and juries can be convinced
that the evidence is authentic.
-PHYLLIS: How? -The emails themselves.
-They're fake. -You have to prove it.
There will also be the testimony
of the former department heads.
Right. Who Victor has paid off to lie for him, so...
Right. I have seen you pull this kind of testimony
and evidence apart.
You've turned it into grumblings of disgruntled employees.
And Christine,
who happens to be a brilliant attorney,
will sell it as gospel.
Look, the actual facts of the case
don't even matter anymore.
It's the perception that counts.
And right now, that perception is working against you.
Okay, Michael.
What do you suggest I do?
If you insist on fighting it and taking it to trial,
it would be borderline malpractice for me
not to advise you to accept a plea deal.
Uh, there's no way in hell I'm doing that.
Oh, gosh, what a surprise. Well...
the other option would be
not to get charged in the first place.
And that offer might still be on the table,
but you will have to give Victor what he wants.
I knew he'd do this to me.
What? Whether you like it or not,
it's still your best option.
No, you presented this lame strategy to me before,
and I told you very directly what to do with it.
But apparently, you went behind my back
and tried to make a deal with Victor.
No! I'm not doing that.
And you ignored me, once again.
And here we are, Phyllis.
You pretending to be queen of the world
while everything crumbles around you!
LAUREN: Okay. All right.
-Take a breath. -No, no, no, no!
I know how her mind works.
If I represent her and she loses,
she'll accuse me of throwing the case to appease Victor,
and that is a scenario I dearly would like to avoid.
Okay. I can help you with that.
Don't lose.
I agree with Nick. It seems strange that Phyllis
would leave a trail of email messages
-that could send her to prison. -She's too savvy, okay?
She knows nothing's going to disappear on the internet, Dad.
She's not that reckless.
You know she is reckless. She was born reckless.
Okay. So [laughs] how, exactly,
did this "best" tech team in the world
pull up these emails? Are we sure they're legitimate?
Who cares if it's legitimate or not?
We all know she stole my company from me.
I'm trying to get it back.
She wants to fight me in court.
She's gonna lose in court. She has no chance.
I'm just trying to protect you, Phyllis.
But if you won't let me do that by taking my advice...
then at least I can try to protect our friendship.
It sounds like you're protecting your friendship with Victor.
I'm just trying to prove a point--you can't beat him.
Well, maybe what you're trying to tell me, Michael,
is you can't beat him.
You're not the only game in town.
I feared this might happen, so I've put together a list
of some crackerjack attorneys in the country and, um,
I think they'd jump at the chance
to be head of the legal department
at Summers Conglomerate.
Let me see that.
-Oh, no. That's not for you. -Ah-uh--
[laughing]
Why are you laughing?
Well, your first candidate was disbarred last month.
And your second choice was indicted for bribery.
[laughs]
Oh, but I have to admit I do like your third pick.
I've seen her in court. She's killer.
Okay, good. I'll hire her then.
Please give that back to me.
Well, the only, uh, problem with that is
Victor hired her last week to head Legal at Chancellor.
And I can guarantee you
that every other viable name on that list
has already been gotten to by Victor.
I can't catch a break, can I?
I mean, the hits just keep on coming.
Good God. [exhales]
No one has my back.
No one.
Except you.
You're the only person who has not abandoned me, Lauren.
No, wait, hold on. I have not abandoned you.
I'm...I'm just trying to make you see
what you're up against.
What I'm up against? Oh!
'Cause poor Victor... is a victim?
He's never been a victim, ever.
Although, everybody feels bad for him--my son.
My daughter.
My so-called friends.
I mean, everybody's trying to guilt me into
giving up something that I've worked so hard to attain.
You know, with everybody jumping ship
and stabbing me in the back,
I never thought that you would be one to do that as well.
I'm not doubting your story, Sienna,
but you said yourself it's a blur.
Yeah, but I know that that happened.
Matt is dead. I killed him.
W-what more do you want me to say?
Okay, Mom, maybe we should give it a rest for now.
The sooner you can piece this together,
the sooner we can help.
You said you killed him.
I did kill him.
Well, where did this altercation take place?
Was it at the roadside, near Matt's car?
It was in the desert.
Where in the desert?
I don't know. I-I don't know.
He--he--he was chasing me, and then--
Really, what difference does all this make?
Okay, Mom, that's it. That's enough.
He is dead. I told you this, and that much I am certain of.
And you--I--I'm sor-- I just--I can't.
I can't. I can't do this anymore.
-I can't. -Whoa, wait.
Mm-mm. No.
-What's going on? -Ask Mom.
What was that about?
I was trying to get Sienna to remember
what actually happened with her and Matt.
Did she?
A little. I don't know. Maybe I pushed her too hard.
Well, I'm sure Noah can calm her down.
I wish he could get me to calm down.
How are you feeling?
Better, you know, maybe a little shaky.
Well, that sounds pretty normal.
Yeah. That's my target, you know, normal.
I still cannot believe that I got so out of control
with those drugs.
I mean, I've never wanted anything in my life that bad,
not ever.
It's scary.
Gives me a real understanding of what my mom's gone through.
Nicholas...
this wasn't your fault.
This happens to good people every single day.
Your family understands that. I understand that.
Nobody is judging you.
Well, you'd be wrong about that.
Well, then, you need to forgive yourself.
I'm trying. I really am.
But I put so many people that I love in danger.
I'm having a hard time coming to terms with that.
By the way, what did you know?
-About Nick? -Yeah.
I mean, he'd been acting strange even before Vegas.
His mood swings, his recklessness.
Looking back, it's probably one of the reasons
that I agreed to take the trip with him,
because I knew something was off.
Well...
if there's one silver lining in this, it's that...
that you brothers are getting closer.
Well, we still piss each other off, but yeah,
he's my brother.
It's feeling more and more normal for me to say that.
And I'm very happy to hear that, son.
I delivered the evidence to Christine.
So now we wait and see if she'll run with it.
Yep.
Hang on, Phyllis. I--
You know, Michael, we've known each other a long time--
longer than I can remember, actually--
and our friendship has been through a lot,
even when you decided to defend Sharon
against my son's wishes.
Do I still need to remind you that Sharon was innocent?
So am I.
Phyllis...
please.
You and Cane did unleash that AI program.
You did steal Victor's company.
And then...
you double-crossed Cane to take possession of it yourself.
Now, there are a lot of words to describe that,
but innocent isn't one of 'em.
You know Victor and Cane did the same thing,
but in their case, you would just call it
hardball and buy him a drink, right?
-Not true. -Okay. You know? Of course.
Of course it's not true, because it goes against the narrative
of me being the bad guy, right?
No. I don't believe that either.
I just don't think you're gonna win this,
and I don't want to see you go to prison for it.
Okay, well, whether I win or lose,
it's not of your concern anymore,
and I want you to know the worst lawyer on this list
is better than you.
I don't know what else to say to her.
Well, then.
Better start thinking about what you're going to say to me.
Christine will do the right thing.
I don't know, Dad. She didn't seem 100% convinced.
She'll follow the evidence.
Evidence is on our side.
It would be nice to get a win for a change.
Family's been getting hit from all sides
for far too long.
Did you speak to Michael?
Yeah. I gave him a warning.
Is he still planning to defend Phyllis?
He won't if he knows what's good for him.
This case is a lost cause. Can you not see that?
That's not the point.
Of course it's the point. It's the only point.
Come on, Michael.
I have watched you defend more hopeless causes
than I can even count,
so don't you dare try and use that as an excuse
not to help Phyllis.
This is all about you staying on the right side of Victor.
You just can't let him go.
Why can't I catch a break?
Why is everybody out to get me?
So what did Sienna remember about that night?
Not a whole lot,
but she did become very agitated
when I suggested that Matt Clark might not be dead.
You're having doubts about that too?
SHARON: This is Matt Clark we're talking about.
Of course I'm having doubts.
SPEAKER: "Next week on the Young and the Restless."
Oh, my God, this can't be happening.
No, Lily, it's fine. Amanda will post my bail.
I promise you, I'll get to New York.
-DIANE: Ugh. -Well, hello, you two!
Oh, can the day get any better?
[giggles]
Are you okay?
How far away am I from this place?
Captioned by Los Angeles Distribution and Broadcasting, Inc.
Captioning provided by Bell Dramatic Serial Company,
Sony Pictures Television and CBS, Inc.
Join us again for "The Young and the Restless."