Neil Winters
Actor History
Kristoff St. John (January 1991 - Present)
Occupation
CEO of Newman Enterprises
Newman Enterprises Board Member
Owner of Indigo Jazz Club
Former Chief Operating Officer of Newman Enterprises & Mentor to Drucilla
Former Acting CEO of Newman Enterprises
Former Corporate Liaison for Newman Enterprises
Formerly Victor Newman's right hand man at Newman Enterprises
Former Executive Trainee at Jabot Cosmetics
Resides At
A highrise apartment at 345 Ashland, Apt. 321
Marital Status
Widower
Past Marriages
Drucilla Barber Winters (divorced; first time)
Drucilla Barber Winters [Married Dec 23, 2003 2nd time] (presumed dead in April 2007)
Relatives
Malcolm Winters (half-brother)
Children
Lily Amanda Winters (stepdaughter/niece)
Devon Hamilton Winters (adopted son)
Flings & Affairs
Victoria Newman
Olivia Barber
Alex Perez
Serena [last name unknown]
Carmen Mesta (deceased)
Karen Taylor
Crimes Committed
None
Brief Character History
Pushed by Olivia to produce her mystery "boyfriend", Drucilla talked Jabot executive trainee and Stanford MBA graduate, Neil Winters, into playing the part. Neil played it so well, he ended up falling in love with Olivia himself. Olivia realized what was going on, and countered by moving up her wedding date. Nathan and Olivia married with Dru as maid of honor. Dru and Neil commiserated, and ended up falling in love. It was obvious both couples were mismatched. The scholarly Olivia was married to the former criminal Nathan, and the former criminal Dru with the sophisticated Neil Winters. Neil supported Dru in her rise to ballerina stardom. But she turned down a chance to tour with the ballet for a modeling career, which Neil thought unforgivable, to be giving up art for self-gratification and big money, so they broke up. Nathan and Paul exposed photographer Vinnie Russo, and Dru's "modeling career" turned out to be a porn scam. Lucky for Dru though, she got noticed by fashion photographer Blade, and she and Blade went to work for Jabot. Jabot executive Jill Abbott fought the idea of unsophisticated Dru as their model, just as Dru was doing a nude centerfold for Sensuality Magazine. Jill caught her and destroyed the film.
Shortly after Nathan Jr. "Nate" was born to Liv and Nathan, Dru and Neil reconciled and became engaged. Then Dru's centerfold hit the newsstands. The magazine had published Dru's test shots! Dru was devastated, knowing what Neil's reaction would be, so she left town.
Dru returned some time later and she and Neil were married at the Chancellor Estate.
Neil's black sheep half-brother Malcolm suddenly showed up in Genoa City, intent on patching up differences with Neil. Neil was convinced that Mal was only there to freeload, but Dru got Mal a job at Blade's photo studio which helped convince Neil he was wrong about him. One night Dru was over-medicated and ended up making love with Malcolm, mistaking him for Neil in her stupor. Mal had secretly loved Dru, but never thought she gave him a second look. His secret desires got the best of him that night when he thought she really wanted him. Dru soon found herself pregnant, and not knowing which Winters brother was the father, considered abortion. But when the doctor told Dru she had a condition that made it lucky she had conceived, let alone ever would again, she reconsidered. Dru and Mal decided the baby would remain Neil's no matter what, and only they and her sister Olivia would know the incident had ever happened.
After the birth of her baby Lily, Dru signed a contract and returned to modeling, which took her away from home and infuriated Neil. Neil felt that unless a wife had a meaningful job (like being a doctor like Liv), her place was in the home. In his loneliness he turned to the recently widowed Liv, who agreed with his Neanderthal ideas. When Dru told a reporter that she owed her career to her wonderful understanding husband, Neil caved in and they reconciled. When Dru realized that Neil was actually bent on keeping Dru pregnant and unable to model she started on the pill behind his back. Meanwhile, thanks mainly to Malcolm's bond with Nate since the death of his father, Malcolm (now a successful photographer) fell in love with Olivia and proposed. Neil discovered Dru's deception and moved out, determined to stay out of his wife and daughter's lives. Time passed and Dru and Neil reunited and split again and again thanks to Neil's beliefs conflicting with Dru's dreams. Dru finally took off with Lily for the runways of Paris and filed for divorce.
Several years later, Dru returned to Genoa City with Lily in tow, to donate bone marrow to save Olivia's life. Neil thought sure they would once again reunite, but Dru set him straight that it was over for them. Since Olivia had managed to drive Malcolm out of her life by now, the door was open for Dru and Malcolm to finally give love a shot. They became lovers with no strings and even brought up the subject of Lily's unknown paternity. When it was time for Dru to resume her modeling career, she sadly returned to Paris. Neither of them would admit their true feelings. Dru would have given up her career for Mal, but Mal respected her so he would not ask her to do so. Malcolm ended up following her a short time later, but returned in a month brokenhearted, saying it just didn't work out.
Neil's life was consumed with being Victor Newman's right hand man. He recently finished working on a case to expose Newman's underhanded HMO Lawson Medical with the attractive female attorney, Alex Perez (who was romantically involved with his brother Malcolm). Just about the time that Neil was ready to confess his love to Alex, she agreed to marry Malcolm. Because she had committed to Malcolm, she spent months trying to keep her feelings for Neil from Malcolm and avoided Neil to avoid further temptation. Since his best friend Ryan McNeil was murdered, Neil began hitting the bottle pretty hard. In drunken frustration he admitted his love for Alex to Malcolm. Alex swore it was one-sided and hurried along her relationship with Malcolm, wanting to get married right away.
Despite the fact that the two brothers couldn't stand to be in the same room together, Neil was sent to Kenya with Alex and Malcolm to supervise a special photo shoot that Ryan had planned before his death. Malcolm overheard the two of them talking and Alex admit she had feelings for Neil. Malcolm concluded that what Neil had told him was true, that Alex had been dishonest with him about her feelings for Neil. But he didn't stay long enough to hear her proclaim she had made her choice, and loved and would marry Malcolm. Later a stunned Malcolm took off for a location visit with their location manager, Isaac, after slugging Neil. As their vehicle was crossing a bridge, an oncoming truck created too much weight for it, and the bridge collapsed. Malcolm survived and rescued Isaac, then swam off to find their driver. Isaac saw the bridge collapse on Malcolm. They searched for weeks, the driver's body was found, but not Malcolm's, so Alex and Neil reluctantly returned to Genoa City. They finally put the pieces together, with the help of Victoria, and realized that their conversation must have led Malcolm to his death. The guilt was too much for them both. Alex returned to Minneapolis, and Neil quit his job and turned to the bottle fulltime. His continual drinking led to an altercation with Victor Newman, and Neil quit his job.
Hanging out at the Olive Branch bar, scruffy, unshaven and drunk, Neil met barmaid Serena. Serena, though appearing street smart and tough, felt sorry for Neil and took him home with her where they made love. Serena apparently has a drunk and a child in her past as she relates to Neil, rescues him and gives him a place to go without judgment instead of hounding him to shape up like Olivia does. Olivia has banned her son Nate from seeing his uncle. That and his estrangement from his daughter Lily sent Neil deeper into the bottle. Now Dru has shown up at Neil's apartment in the summer of 2002 with the now 14 year old Lily in tow. Lily is in need of a father who can change her smart-mouth attitude. But Dru is surprised to find from Olivia that Neil has quit his job, become an alcoholic, and is living with barmaid Serena in a seedy part of town.
Dru showed up at Neil's apartment in the summer of 2002 with the now 14 year old Lily in tow, claiming Lily needs her father to change her smart-mouth attitude. But Dru was surprised to find that Neil had quit his job, become an alcoholic, and was living with barmaid Serena in a seedy part of town. After hitting bottom, Neil, with the help of Serena, decided to dry out for his daughter's sake. But he ended up getting rolled by a guy named Juice, then Juice went on to loot his old apartment finding Dru, Lily and Olivia who fended him off smartly. Neil was convinced to check into rehab, and taking one day at a time, with a lesser job at Newman. Serena saw the writing on the wall, cleaned up herself, and bade Neil goodbye.
Reuniting the family with Dru and Lily began looking good to Neil, so Dru and Lily moved in "for Lily's sake." At the same time Dru's psychiatrist boyfriend, Wesley Carter, who followed her from Paris proposed. Dru chose Neil and they became engaged. Never one to let an X-boyfriend of Dru's go to waste, Olivia is now engaged to Wes.
Dru went to work for Jabot. Newman Enterprises outbid Jabot to buy out Satine Cosmetics for Women of Color due to inside information that Dru let slip to Neil. Jabot decided to resurrect a similar shelved project of Ashley's which Dru ended up naming Tuvia to compete and made Dru their Spokesmodel. Payback was had when Dru found out that Newman was trying to woo Satine creator, Damon Porter as their chemist for their newly named Safra line. She stole him away to work for Jabot during Ashley's maternity leave. Jabot was still hurting financially, but saw Tuvia as their savior, depending on their reputation and fine product to put them back in the black. But Victor could not let Jabot win the war, so blackmailed Michael Baldwin into paying off large retailers to give them the prime shelf space normally held by Jabot. Neil tried to ignore the rumors of Victor's dirty tricks, while Dru worked hard to help make Tuvia a success at Jabot.
Now 15 and still belligerent and mouthy, Lily spent most of her time on the Internet where she met Kevin Fisher. Her friends Colleen and Sierra talked her into meeting him, but were aghast when he turned out to be in his mid 20's. Lily fell head over heals for the manipulating Kevin, but her friends were convinced he was bad news, even interrupting what was to be Lily's first sexual encounter at Kevin's apartment. Lily broke off their friendship while Kevin took revenge on J. T. by trashing his place. After Kevin later talked Lily into sex to "prove their love," her girlfriends went to Neil and Dru to tell to help save Lily. Neil stormed over to Kevin's apartment, and Lily escaped out a window and down the fire escape as Kevin let him in. Neil threatened the cowering Kevin that if he found out he was messing with his daughter he would be charged with statutory rape, and Neil would kill him if he touched her again. Kevin took revenge on Colleen by trapping her in the walk-in cooler at Gina's and setting the restaurant on fire. Colleen survived, and Lily finally realized how dangerous Kevin was. Lily had to confess all to her parents, though luckily not pregnant or HIV-positive, she was diagnosed with Chlamydia. At least it all brought her close to her parents again and she lost her attitude. Kevin was never charged with statutory rape because the police advised there was not enough evidence since his VD had been cured prior to testing.
Dru and Neil were remarried in a lavish Japanese flavored wedding on Ryukyu Islands, Japan, with Lily as maid of honor, Olivia as bridesmaid, and Jack Abbott as best man.
After Victor Newman was found guilty of corporate bribery, he temporarily stepped down as CEO of Newman Enterprises, and Neil was chosen Acting CEO. After using an untested synthetic hair straightener being developed by Jabot, Dru's hair fell out in clumps. Not long afterward, Dru quit her job at Jabot and went to work at Newman Enterprises for her husband Neil.
Lily met troubled teen Devon, who was beligerant and just hung around watching and resenting the rich kids helping the neighborhood kids fix up the place. Lily's attempts to befriend him were rebuffed at every turn as Devon did not trust anyone - especially an obviously rich kid. To get her off his back, he made up answers to her questions, telling her how he went to a school in the rich part of town and was part of a big happy family. Later when Lily realized he was lying, Devon told her how he'd been shuttled from group home to group home since he was taken from his crackhead mother, and that his father was dead. He was currently living in a foster home, but was about to be kicked out for his behavior. Just as the bubbly and sweet Lily was finally getting through to Devon, and he started helping out and treating everyone better, he was told by his social worker, Lorena Davis, that there was no group home available so he'd have to be sent to a Level 12 facility which sounded more like jail.
Lily's mother Drucilla got to know the boy and saw herself at that age. Remembering how she had gone down the wrong road until Nathan had rescued her and taught her to read, she wanted to give back by helping Devon in the same way. So Dru convinced Neil and Ms. Davis to allow them to be temporary foster parents. Devon was blossoming once he knew someone cared, and he and Lily became very close. During this time, Devon told Lily he'd once seen his father hanging out in front of a convenience store. So no one is sure which story of Devon's parentage is true.
Devon became part of the family, learning table manners, reading books, and such. Neil was hesitant, but Dru plotted to make the arrangement permanent, and was lying to Ms. Davis that Neil was on board with permanent fostering of Devon. When it was discovered that Neil knew nothing about it, Devon was to be sent to a Level 12 facility, but he ran away with Lily instead. Devon was found and Victor Newman, whose probation officer was also Ms. Davis, volunteered to take him until a group home could be found. Victor and Devon bunked together at the Rec Center in sleeping bags for a few weeks. The day he was to leave, Neil finally gave in and agreed to permanent foster care of Devon.
Three years after he was declared dead, Malcolm has shown up in Genoa City, very much alive, sporting cornrows and a bad attitude. Malcolm is out for revenge against the brother who he thinks stole his fiancé and left him for dead in Kenya. Malcolm explained that a family took him in and nursed him back to health, then ended up having to take care of them. But now mostly he returned to see Nate again. Olivia is resentful that Malcolm didn't make himself known to Nate as soon as possible, sparing him the devastation of his death, and is making Malcolm wait to reveal himself until Nate returns from boarding school at the end of semester. Until then, Malcolm has took a job as a waiter, and was later named Manager at Crimson Lights, and Olivia convinced him to stay in her extra bedroom. Malcolm hadn't forgotten the possibility that Lily might be his daughter, so Dru had a paternity test done. Although Lily found out that Dru and Uncle Malcolm had once been an item and wondered, when it turned out Malcom really was Lily's father, they decided not to tell her or Neil the truth.
Devon's birthday came around, but no one remembered it. Disappointed, but unwilling to tell anyone but his friend Sierra, he skipped school and headed for the zoo. Later that night when he was discovered missing, Sierra tipped them to check the zoo. Dru, Neil, Lily and Malcolm found a terrified Devon marooned in the lion habitat, eye to eye with a lion! Malcolm climbed down into the pit and used skills apparently learned in Africa to distract the lion while Devon climbed out with the help of Neil, followed by Malcolm. Lily and Devon brought around the SUV to pick them up, but she lost control when it skidded on the ice and struck Neil. Neil made up with Malcolm, asking him to take care of his family in case he didn't make it through surgery. He relieved guilt from Devon and Lily, and said goodbye to Dru. In the waiting room, Lily blamed Devon, so when Mrs. Davis arrived, he asked be put into a group home. Dru intervened and assured Devon that families were all about love and forgiveness. Neil needed blood, and Lily wanted to donate, but Malcolm insisted he be the one. Devon helped Lily see that Malcolm needed to give back to his brother to mend the relationship, but Malcolm was really more interested in the possibility that Neil was not Lily's father. Neil came through the surgery fine.
Neil was disappointed when Victor named his son Nick CEO of Newman, and Neil became Chief Operating Officer & Right Hand to the CEO. When Nick let the power go to his head, cancelled Neil's pet projects and refused Neil's advice, Neil quit his job at Newman. But when Nick felt threatened by the possible return of his sister Victoria, he gave Dru her position of Director of the Cosmetics Division with the stipulation that Neil would return and would mentor her in the job. Dru came up with a new project called "Seasons" which will feature fragrances for each season of the year. Brad, who was expecting to get the CEO position himself, quit his job with Jabot, and considered going into business with Victoria Newman. Jack offered Victoria the position of Jill's right hand at Jabot, but instead she chose Victor's offer as Acting CEO at Newman. One of Victoria's first acts as CEO was to hire Brad Carlton. Despite their animosity, Victor approved. Nick's last act was to fire Phyllis, who quit instead.
Malcolm agreed to become the Jabot Photographer on the condition that Lily become the new Jabot teen model. Lily fell for Daniel Romalotti like a ton of bricks! Dru fought it at every turn because her nemesis Phyllis Abbott was his mother. But through a tragic turn of events, [see Daniel Romalotti profile] Daniel was charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of Cassie Newman. Lily couldn't be parted from her new love, so talked Daniel into hiding out in the remote Abbott family playhouse. While the police, his mother, and a vengeful Nick Newman searched for Daniel, Lily was visiting him and bringing him food right under their noses. Malcolm figured it out, and tried to get Lily to talk Daniel into giving himself up. But instead they ran away together in Lily's car. The fugitives dumped the car in St. Louis with Nick Newman and Phyllis right on their heels. They turned up in Los Angeles, were camping on the beach and enjoying themselves, awaiting the return of Brendan, a musician friend of Daniel's father. Daniel began having dreams with flashes of the accident, finally realizing that it was not him, but Cassie driving the car. Meanwhile Brendan returned home to find Phyllis, Nick and Neil Winters waiting for him. Nick brought in the police, and all went searching for the kids nearby. Phyllis discovered them working on the beach dressed in fruit costumes promoting a beachfront cafe, but didn't realize it was them until they disappeared. Daniel talked Lily into going to the cafe where the 3 awaited them to claim their paychecks, and Neil was reunited with Lily. Nick spotted Daniel watching, and chased and caught Daniel. Phyllis managed to stop Nick from beating up the kid. They turned the kids over to the police, and both were returned to Genoa City. Lily was out on bail, and Daniel went on trial for vehicular manslaughter where Christine and Paul failed to prove that Cassie was driving the car. But in a last minute save, Nick Newman turned over the evidence he'd been withholding - the clothes Cassie was wearing that fateful night. The boot she was wearing matched a piece of a heel found under the accelerator, the judge determined that Cassie was driving and let Daniel go free. Lily's parents made a deal to send her away to boarding school in New Hampshire and have no contact with Daniel to get the DA to drop the charges against her. Lily and Daniel vowed their undying love and were torn apart at the airport. Lily's school strictly kept them from contacting each other until they began communicating as Romeo and Juliet via a study website. But they got caught and that was stopped too. Then Lily's parents made her write a letter to Daniel dumping him, and Devon was asked to deliver it. Lily got a second letter to Devon telling Daniel that the first was a fake, but Devon kept it.
Now alone with Neil and Dru after Lily has left for boarding school, Devon tried to talk Yolanda into going into a free state rehab facility. She refused but claimed she was off the drugs. So Devon took her home to the Winters', let her clean up, and she left with Neil's expensive watch. She used the watch to buy enough drugs to overdose, and was found unconscious in the park by Devon. Yolanda recovered and went into rehab. She came to live with the Winters family getting her act together, got a nice job in the Jabot mailroom, then blew it all by coming on to Neil. Neil shot her down, Devon walked in on them, so Yolanda explained to Devon. He turned down the offer to leave with her, so she packed and left for her sister's in Seattle.
Lily arrived home for a long-weekend visit, popping out of a present for Devon's 18th birthday. But all Lily was thinking about is finding Daniel. Once Lily informed Daniel of the deception, they let everyone believe they no longer cared about each other and Lily was allowed to stay in town. Colleen helped them by faking a romance with Daniel but Lily and Daniel never stopped their affair. Eventually both sets of parents found out. Tho Phyllis was more understanding, Neil and Dru were livid and threatened exposure of Lily to the police that she had violated her probation. So Lily and Daniel eloped to Las Vegas and began living in the former Abbot children's playhouse on the Abbott estate thanks to Jack's generosity. Daniel has a part time job working in the mail room at Newman Enterprises for the summer, and Lily works at the Jabot boutique and has just finished high school this summer after failing to graduate last spring.
One day Lily overheard an argument between Phyllis and Dru and discovered the long kept secret of her paternity. She was very upset and emailed Daniel about it, but accidentally sent it to Dad instead of Daniel. She discovered her error and tried to intercept it, but in the end Lily ended up telling Neil the truth - that she was not his biological daughter, and that Malcolm his brother was her father. Neil blew up at Dru and never let her completely tell the story of how it came about. Neil and Dru separated, and Dru began living with the also-separated Sharon Newman at the Newman Ranch. Neil began seeing co-worker Carmen Mesta who encouraged Neil's dream to own a jazz club, found him a space which he bought, renovated, and named Indigo. Devon began working part time as an intern at Newman Enterprises and attending GCU.
Daniel and Lily's young marital bliss was interrupted when Alex arrived back in town and began blackmailing Kevin and Daniel threatening to expose how he had helped them to pretend to attack Lily years ago. Daniel told Jack and Phyllis about it, and both suggested he tell Lily the truth, which he finally did. Meanwhile Kevin and Gloria had come up with a scheme to get rid of Alex. They drugged Alex, and videotaped a faked a rape scene with the help of Jana. Once Alex saw the tape he left town. But It was too late - Lily was understandably upset, believing she and Daniel had the perfect relationship with no secrets. She left him and moved back to her parent's who went back to hating Daniel. Not long afterward, Lily relented and asked Daniel to her graduation dinner, and they are reconciling, much to the disappointment of her parents who tried to force her into a divorce.
Dru began following Carmen and Neil on their "business meetings" and observed them hugging and kissing. She was so enraged she threatened Carmen and fought with Neil. When the time came for the NVP Retreats grand opening party, Dru showed up on the arm of businessman Edward and proceeded to pitch a drunken scene from which Neil carried her out of the room. Dru ended up tricking the maid into letting her into Carmen's room and was discovered by Carmen and Neil cutting up Carmen's clothes. Carmen called the police and Dru landed in jail. Dru was sentenced to 2 years probation, 60 hours of community service. 60 hours of counseling, no communication via phone, written, e-mail, nor could be within 500 feet of Carmen unless it is business related and a 3rd party present. Dru continually violated the restraining order by confronting Carmen, so Dru was fired from Newman, but was later reinstated.
In the middle of the Winter's marital problems, Devon went deaf after surviving meningitis. They reconciled, and the family bound together to support Devon by learning sign language and having their home equipped for the deaf. Devon was coping well considering he was a music major, but began looking into having a cochlear implant. He was being smothered by his over-protective foster parents, so he moved out to live with Lily and Daniel, but Jack Abbott ended up renting a house to all three to live together near the GCU campus. Neil gave Dru the job of decorating his jazz club Indigo and is hoping Devon will work there too. Indigo's successful grand opening featured Aaron Neville with a sign language interpreter just for Devon. But afterward, Carmen turned up bludgeoned to death in the alley behind the club. Dru, Neil, Devon and Lily all appeared before the Grand Jury to testify, and were among the murder suspects. But in a surprise turn of events, Devon was arrested for the murder of Carmen! While he was out on bail awaiting trial, his cochlear implant surgery was successful and he can hear again. Neil and Dru took this opportunity to legally adopt Devon once they heard that his mother was back on drugs. 3 months later, Carmen's former lover David Chow showed up in Genoa City, hell-bent on getting Dru convicted for Carmen's murder after he received a copy of the video of Dru and Carmen's altercation. After hooking up with Leanna Love, the video was aired on TV, and all eyes are again pointing at Dru as the murderer. Chow was confronting Dru everywhere, even turning up at her apartment door just after Dru found her own clothes shredded like she did Carmen's. Then Dru started seeing dead Carmen and ended up checked into the psych ward, though it turned out that Carmen's identical cousin Inez was in cahoots with Chow and gaslighting Dru. After Jana Hawkes confessed to being was the real killer, David and Inez appeared at Dru's competency hearing, vindicating her. However, he never revealed he was the one behind the gaslighting. Jana disappeared and both Dru and Devon were exonerated.
Phyllis overheard Sharon and Brad discussing their New York City affair and saw an opportunity for future use of the information. The controversial NVP spa project known as Clear Springs has everyone at Newman taking sides. Jack, Victor, Phyllis and Nick's position is that this large development would revitalize a dying town, and Nikki, Brad, and Victoria are opposed as it will wipe out historic structures in the town. Nikki and Neil ran for the vacant Newman board seat to boost their side's votes, and thanks to Phyllis's blackmail of Brad over his affair with Sharon, Victor's yes-man Neil won, so Victor thinks they have the upper hand on Clear Springs.
In April of 2007, Sharon told Drucilla she was being blackmailed by Phyllis over her affair with Brad Carlton. When Sharon and Phyllis began fighting on the edge of a cliff during a NVP photo shoot, Dru intervened. When all lost hold of the cell phone they were fighting over, they lost her balance and fell backward. Dru sailed off the cliff into the river below, and Sharon was left hanging onto the edge for her life. Phyllis tried to save her, but she lost her grip and also fell to the river below. Rescuers combed the area and found Sharon's lifeless body, but she was revived and lived. Dru was never found. Only the jacket she wore was found below the falls, so she was presumed dead. A prayer vigil was held at Indigo, where memories were shared by family and friends. Olivia remembered what a precocious child Dru had been, and how she had showed her love for Liv when she donated needed bone marrow when Liv was once on her deathbed. Sharon remembered her brutal honesty and her one-of-kind hats. Devon recalled that before Dru came into his life, no one had ever believed in him, and how she forced him through her love to believe in himself. Lily said Dru was the kind of woman who did it all - career and family, and was her role model. Neil believed Dru was still alive and was not going to give up looking for her, called her loyal and passionate about life. For a while Neil was turning back to the bottle in his despair over losing Dru, but he stopped for the sake of his children.
After Nick was presumed killed in a plane crash, Victor made Neil Co-CEO with Victoria at Newman Enterprises. New Co-CEO, Neil gave his son Devon a big project of his own to oversee with Kline Outdoor signs, and Brad was not confident in his ability to handle it. But Devon not only is getting kudos from Kline, but also was given a high profile account of Brad's and is becoming a serious up & coming businessman. Although after Nick was found alive, and he resumed the Co-CEO position, Nick and his father had a huge falling out and he was fired, so Neil was again made Co-CEO with Victoria.
Lily became interested in 31 year old Cane Ashby. He returned her feelings, though he tried to deny it, due to her being only 19 and Neil's disapproval, so they agreed to remain just friends. Meanwhile Neil began dating Karen Taylor, they began a sexual relationship, and Karen moved in with Neil among all of Dru's things and Neil's memories. Devon and Lily had a hard time getting past his "disrespect for Dru" but came to accept Karen.
Victor's son with Hope, Victor Jr., suddenly showed up in Victor's office, accepted a job, and asked to be called Adam so there will be less confusion and that the wrong message wasn't sent. His first assignment was to work with Victoria on the Beauty of Nature project. He is flaunting his Harvard education and superior work ethic in Victoria, Nick and Neil's faces, going over Victoria's head with decisions, and hitting on Nick's wife Phyllis, leaving everyone guessing at Adam's agenda.
Then Lily won the Fresh Face of Jabot contest which Cane was in charge of, and began learning to model. But hard as they tried to remain just friends, Lily and Cane ended up consummating their relationship on Valentine's Day. Caught by Neil leaving their room at the Athletic Club, still bathed in afterglow, Cane insisted on setting the record straight by telling Neil he was in love with Lily and promised not to hurt her. Lily got busy into her modeling career under the tutelage of Chloe, working long hours on her cover shot for the launch issue of Restless Style online/print magazine, flunking out of college, not eating due to pressure from Chloe about her figure, only to discover she was pregnant. After much indecision, Lily told Cane and her father. Then after going to her mother's old ballet studio to feel close to her mother, Lily decided to have the baby. Later Cane staged a lovely marriage proposal at the same studio, but Lily was hesitant to say yes, afraid he wanted to marry her for all the wrong reasons. Meanwhile Neil was making plans to raise Lily's baby with Karen, without consulting Lily, Cane, nor Karen beforehand - causing Karen to feel disrespected and move out. She quit her job at Newman and moved to New York to work for a romance novel publisher. But when Cane & Lily went for the first ultrasound, it was discovered that there was no more baby. It had dissolved on its own due to imperfection. Cane and Lily were devastated, and Karen was great consoling Lily, and Kay & Jill in consoling Cane. Not long afterward came another blow for poor Lily - due to the intervention of a consultant, Lily was dropped from the Restless Style online/print magazine cover. Chloe needed a place to live, so moved in with Devon and Lily. Now overcrowded with Chloe and her unusual collection of stuff, plus worried about Lily's emotional state, Cane asked Lily to move in with him, but Lily turned him down. After a bit of soul-searching, Lily has decided to go back to college and is only modeling as a part time job.
After a time Neil regretted his treatment of Karen, called her, then showed up at her apartment in New York. He asked her to return, then asked her to marry him, but she turned him down, and Neil returned to GC alone. But not long afterward, Karen showed up in GC, got her job back at Newman, but they have only resumed dating.
During a surprise 21st birthday party for Lily, Devon's Aunt Tyra and precocious and talented 12 year old Ana arrived from Seattle. Cane could see they didn't have money for a hotel, so paid for one, but Neil was highly suspicious of their motives for coming to town, especially after they found out Tyra lost her job managing the Pembrooke Inn in Seattle, and was evicted. But Tyra was honest about her circumstances and Neil wanted his son to get to know his real family, so soft-hearted Neil invited them to live at his place until they got back on their feet. As weeks went on, Karen was not pleased with this, and asked Tyra to look for her own place, but Neil nixed the idea. Ana began singing for the family at Neil's club Indigo and then with Devon at the annual charity gala which prompted Kay Chancellor to offer her the annual scholarship for gifted students to a Music School in New Hampshire. Tyra is reluctant to accept because Ana is not really her daughter, but is the daughter of her crackhead sister Yolanda, so she is afraid her deception all these years will be exposed. Neil is supportive, and Kay is going to pave the way for Ana to get into the school regardless. Even Devon was unaware that he had a sister. Tyra explained that when Devon was a child living with his grandmother, Yolanda came home pregnant from one of her many disappearances and Tyra, who was only 15 and living with her father (Devon's grandfather), raised Yoland's baby who was Ana. Devon and Ana get along wonderfully as they are both interested in music, writing and singing together.
When Victor was declared dead when the fishing boat he was on was caught in a storm in Mexico, the will was read leaving his youngest son Adam in charge. Adam fired Neil and hired Brad as CEO of Newman with himself as Chairman of the Board. Only days later Victor was discovered to be alive and Adam was fired. JT had the pleasure of ushering Adam out. Neil and JT talked Brad into voluntarily resigning or his taking company secrets from Newman to Jabot would be exposed. And JT got to escort him out as well. Since Brad quit Jabot to go to Newman, he is now without a job.
When Neil was unfairly fired from Newman Enterprises by Adam, Devon quit as well in solidarity. When Neil was later rehired by Victor, Devon declined to return because he had decided to concentrate on his music.
