Friend or foe? The strange bedfellow of The Young and the Restless

Will Ashland's company merge with Newman Enterprises, or will he pull a fast one on Victoria and accept Billy or Victor's bid? Is it true love between Ashland and Victoria or a very clever con game? Will Billy ever get the real story he is after? Will Chelsea be permanently released from the mental hospital? Will she then kidnap Connor and run? Will Chloe avoid jail time for helping Chelsea? Questions to ponder, opinions to offer, and perhaps a speculation or two, are all waiting in Two Scoops.

Decisions, decisions, where to start this week, since there was so much activity in Genoa City.

I guess the big question is whether or not this is a real romance between Victoria and Ashland, and does he really have cancer or is he faking it? I can't figure out if any of it is real or not. Victoria seems to be very taken with Ashland, but I have to wonder if she is really enamored with Ashland or if she is playing him to make sure he merges Locke Communications with Newman Enterprises. I have to ask the same question about Ashland. He, too, seems completely into Victoria, but is he using her interest in merging Locke Communications as a way of paying Victor back or a means to jack up the price of his company by showing there is already a bid on the table? That would make him either a greedy little bugger or more ruthless than we have given him credit for.

I haven't seen anything to really solidify that this is a real relationship. They appear to really care for each other, but they are both devious, one more than the other, and it wouldn't surprise me if they were playing each other. Friend or foe? I, personally, would love to see them as a couple. Victoria brings out the softer side of Ashland, and Ashland brings out Victoria's more animated and softer side. They appear to be well suited for each other, but looks can be very deceiving, and the question remains -- are they?

Who do you suppose leaked the information that Locke has cancer? There has been some speculation that Locke leaked it himself for his own nefarious reasons. He keeps claiming that Tara leaked the information because he cut her off financially. I think at this point, Ashland blames Tara for everything, including the world financial crisis and the pandemic. The only other people who knew about his health were Victoria and Kyle.

I don't believe Kyle would have leaked that information because it would involve Harrison, and Kyle is very protective of that little boy. I'm still questioning whether Harrison is, in fact, Kyle's son. It wouldn't benefit Tara to leak that information, since she has already been cut out of any financial gain, and it wouldn't benefit Victoria in her attempt to merge Locke's company with Newman. That leaves Ashland. Hmm... he is a ruthless sneak, so it wouldn't surprise me if he'd left a trail of very discreet clues in order for his devious plan to work, if he has one.

Ashland was right on the money when he said the sharks were going to circle when news of his health issues became public knowledge, whether they were true or simply speculation. Another reason I believe Ashland leaked his health information was to get the biggest offer for his company if he wasn't playing Victoria. Sure enough, in a typical Billy manner, he is taking a gamble. He has no idea how much money he has access to, but he made an offer for Ashland's company. He just threw caution to the wind, pulled a number out of the air, and told Ashland money wouldn't be an issue. How does he know that?

Has Billy forgotten that Jill turned him down for the purchase of Cyaxares, which would have been good for ChancComm? What makes him think Jill would go along with buying Locke Communications? Why does Billy think Jack would put up the money? Even Lily gasped at Billy's offer for Locke Communications. She asked Billy where he thought he would get the money. Billy's cavalier response was to worry about finances after Ashland accepted their offer. Well, I wouldn't hire Billy as a partner because he reminds me of a con artist who promises you the world, but in the end, you lose. If this is how Billy conducts business, then I'm not inclined to ask him for advice about the stock market.

Then there is Victor, who wants Ashland's company. Victor is definitely not a friend, and he is as ruthless as they come. Victor told Adam he doesn't care about Ashland's health. He wants Locke Communications in its entirety, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Even Adam was shocked at Victor's callousness. Victor told Adam that he'd built his successful company because he'd been ruthless in business. Adam jumped on board and said they had to move fast before all the sharks began circling. (Victor being the mega shark.)

At this point, I am really hoping that Ashland will merge his company with Victoria's, and they could run it together in the time he has left, if, in fact, he is dying. Victoria would make sure that Harrison's legacy would be preserved. I really hope the story will go in this direction. Perhaps Ashland will change his mind about participating in a treatment regimen and live on to repay Victor for holding back medical care during his heart attack until Ashland had signed the contract. It's time Victor got his comeuppance, but will he get it this time?

Ashland appears to have accepted Victor's treatment of him during his heart attack, but I believe he is hiding his anger until he can have his revenge. My gut feeling tells me he has an elaborate plan to get back at Victor. In the previews for next week, Victoria and Ashland are going to make a huge announcement. My guess is Ashland has merged his company with Newman Enterprises, and Victor is angry with Nikki because she knew about the merger and didn't inform him about it. An unhappy Victor means no one will be happy. This will certainly give Billy a ton of fodder for ChancComm to write about in their tabloid.

The Abbotts are all so enamored with Harrison, and I have a feeling they are all going to be really hurt if it turns out that Harrison is not Kyle's son. Let's not forget Tara had mentioned that Ashland had been constantly away on business trips. How many affairs do you think she might have had during Ashland's absences? I believe she is conning Kyle because he was the richest of all the men she had an affair with. I think she chose Kyle because she wanted to be with someone who would keep her in the lifestyle to which she'd become accustomed financially when she was with Ashland.

I find that Billy has become like a dog with a bone, or, dare I say, paparazzi. He just won't let go. I'm not crazy about this new Billy. I think I liked him better as a gambler than this reporter. Lily does a great job keeping him in line, most of the time, but Billy doesn't seem to know when to stop. He is constantly in people's faces and won't give up when asked to do so. He continues his questioning, just like the paparazzi, and he has become intrusive, like walking into Ashland's suite, telling Ashland he knew Ashland had cancer (at that point, it was still only hearsay), and placing a bid for Ashland's company on that basis.

Billy has been more or less stalking Victoria and warning her about Ashland. He's made her fairly prominent in his article about Ashland, implying she might have been a catalyst in Ashland's divorce. Why is that? He claims to love Lily, yet he is forever walking and talking Victoria. He isn't happy that Victoria is with Ashland. It's none of his business, but he has made it his business. It's obvious he is still pining for her, even though he denies it. Does anyone believe that he isn't pining for Victoria?

What if Victoria and Ashland's announcement is a double-edged sword, such as a merger between Locke Communications and Newman Enterprises and an engagement? That would really frost Billy's buns. Not only would he have failed at keeping Victoria away from Ashland, but he also would have lost his bid for Locke Communications, something he was positive he would get. Oops, perhaps Billy should pack his gambling ways away in a strong box and throw away the key, because gambling certainly isn't his forte.

The one thing that has intrigued me about Billy is that he seems to be very skeptical about Tara's sweetness and sunshine. I really hope he succeeds in exposing who she really is. As Teddi said last week, she comes across like someone that butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. I guess that brings up the question about next week's spoilers, which indicate that Sally will be betrayed. Hmm... I wonder who will betray her. Tara, Billy, Summer, or even Ashland? Who's the friend or foe?

Let's count it down. Tara wouldn't betray Sally because that would mean revealing her part in Sally's scheme to get Summer out of town and leave the door open for her to reunite with Kyle. Kyle is too focused on Harrison to notice anything about Tara, but I could be wrong. I remember Summer having a private conversation with Lauren at Society when Summer recommended Sally to take over Summer's job. Why would Summer do that? She and Sally were enemies, and Summer knew how much Sally wanted her job. Wouldn't it be a kicker if somehow Summer managed to reveal Sally's scheme from Italy? I'm positive that Summer has set Sally up somehow, and I can't wait to see if that is true and if it is what Summer has done.

If that happens, then Sally would wind up revealing Tara's part in her scheme, and both witches would be exposed. Yes, that would be lip-smacking delicious because Summer would get her payback. As you know, I'm not a Summer fan, but in this case, I am really rooting for her. But wait, Ashland made that whole "Send Summer to Italy" happen. What if he decides to come clean about all his machinations before he dies, and one of those things would be how he'd helped Sally get Summer out of town so she could have Summer's job. This is wild speculation on my part. I doubt Ashland would ever confess to anything he'd done, but him betraying Sally would be an interesting twist.

As an aside, it's sad to see Hunter King and Michael Mealor, as Summer and Kyle, leave the show. These two characters always gave us a ton to gripe about and a lot of speculation about this couple. It made them interesting. Was Summer really in love with Kyle, or was he just a port in a storm? We all wanted Kyle with Lola or someone who would appreciate and truly love him. I'm sure we wish them both all the very best. They will be missed. I have read that Kyle will leave Genoa City and join his true love, Summer, in Milan. I really hope they will return one day soon.

I am still on the fence with this new Adam, but I have to say, he seems to be keeping Victor in line. It could be because Victor has been so desperate to have Adam in his life that he will agree with almost anything Adam wants. Let's review this good Adam. He put himself at risk returning to Genoa City to be Faith's kidney donor, he has stopped Victor from publishing a retaliating article about Billy and ChancComm, he talked Victor into an early release for Chelsea, he has made sure that Chelsea will have a place to live and a job to go to when she is released, and he has reunited Chelsea with Connor. I love all that, but where is Adam's edge? That is what I'm missing. Can't they make him the good guy with a few nefarious deeds as side projects? I loved Adam's edginess, and now it's gone.

Adam is back living at the tack house. This should be interesting. I wonder how long Sharon and Rey's marriage is going to last with Adam constantly underfoot. As volatile and unstable as Sharon and Adam's relationship had been in the past, there remains a very strong draw to each other. I hate to say it, but I see a reunion between these two in the not-too-distant future -- and I really wish there wouldn't be. Who recalls that in their previous relationship, things between them became so bad that Sharon abandoned her family just to get away from Adam?

It might be different this time with the new Adam, but a leopard doesn't change his spots, and the devil never loses his horns. I guess we will have to wait and see how this will play out, but I would hate to see Sharon and Rey's marriage fall apart because of Adam. I don't see any union between Sharon and Adam lasting.

Poor Chelsea. Her brain isn't firing on all cylinders, but not to the extent that she should be committed. She really believes that Adam was having an "affair" with Sharon right under her nose, and she is convinced that Adam is bad-mouthing her to Connor and keeping Connor away from her, which he isn't. I understand she agreed to an insanity plea to avoid jail time, but surely, she's been in the mental hospital long enough. I love that Adam has done everything he could to get her out and even reunite her with Connor, thanks to Rey, but I would rather see him and Chelsea work out their differences and reunite rather than see him and Sharon together.

I feel for Chloe. That poor girl had no idea about Chelsea's devious plan to poison Rey. She believed she was playing a harmless prank on Rey and taking a few items from Sharon's house that Adam had given to Sharon. Chloe was aghast when she discovered Rey could have died from being poisoned, and she was terrified that she would be apprehended as Chelsea's accomplice. When being peppered with questions by Michael, I thought she handled herself really well until she got up in a huff and left to see Chelsea. (I absolutely love Michael's hair. I'm hoping that mine will come in the same way. It really suits him.)

Chloe is being such a good friend to Chelsea and vice versa. There is no way Chelsea would ever implicate Chloe in her scheme. Michael said the case was closed. Let's hope it stays that way. I would hate to see Chloe charged for something she believed had only been a prank.

I think the saying "Be careful what you wish for" is really apropos to Amanda. She so desperately wanted to find her family, and when she did, she wound up wondering if it really was worth it. Her family included her father, Richard, who had been murdered days before he was going to bring her and Hilary home and raise them; a grandfather, Sutton, who was in politics with a lawsuit against him, and someone who ruled the family with an iron fist; and a mother who seemed to have no remorse that she'd given up her twin girls and who was also willing to go to jail for Sutton for Richard's murder.

Sutton had asked Amanda to represent him in that the lawsuit, which she'd accepted, but then Sutton told Amanda what she could or couldn't use in his defense. He wouldn't allow pertinent information to be provided about his family in any way, even if it would exonerate him. This all went against Amanda's grain. After Naya confessed to killing Richard and was incarcerated, Amanda was determined to defend Naya, and without Naya's knowledge, Amanda was going to use all the information she had wanted to use at Sutton's trial to prove Naya innocent and Sutton guilty of the crime. Amanda has had enough, and she is determined to make things right. Amanda is positive Sutton was the one who killed Richard, but for whatever reason, Naya is adamant that she needs to take the blame for Sutton.

I guess at this point, Amanda must be wondering whether she should have left well enough alone and not indulged herself in finding her family. Thank goodness she has Devon to lean on. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of finding this family is discovering she had a sister, maybe. Imani seems to run hot and cold, and I wonder if Amanda really is enamored with discovering she has a sister.

I'm with Amanda. I believe Sutton killed Richard because he didn't want to have it exposed that his daughter, Naya, had had twins out of wedlock. That would have hurt his political career. I would like to know what kind of hold Sutton has over his family. They do his bidding without question and seem to obey every command. Sutton seems to abide by the premise of "Do as I say and not as I do."

Imani is an irritant to me. I'm not sure what to make of her. One minute, she seems delighted to have Amanda as a sister; however, when Amanda decides to go against Sutton, Imani threatens and blames Amanda for creating a situation. She charged in like a bull and blamed Amanda for Naya's incarceration for killing Richard. Without any preamble, Imani asked what Amanda had said to Naya to make Naya confess to Richard's murder. Imani begins with an accusation without waiting for an explanation.

Imani is way too opinionated and too straightforward for my liking. She has made it clear that she wants Nate and openly flirted with him at Devon's, right under Elena's nose. Imani takes after Grandpa Sutton. She just doesn't care who is in her way; she will have what she wants, when she wants it.

Does anyone find that the Abby storyline has become a bit weird? Aside from the pregnancy, Abby's ex-husband arrived in town. It was great to see Stitch back in Genoa City; however, his visit became a bit uncomfortable because I felt he was acting rather strangely. Abby obviously felt the same way.

Stitch hadn't been in Genoa City for about five years, so it was a bit strange that he would return for a retirement party, but it was possible. He was delighted to see Abby, and that was great, but did anyone notice his strange reaction when Abby told Stitch that Mariah was her and Chance's surrogate and that she was carrying a boy? It was also strange that he then became a Peeping Tom and watched Mariah through a window while she sat talking to the baby. The last time anyone saw Mariah, she'd been running through Chancellor Park, where she'd encountered Stitch. It almost seemed as if he'd been lying in wait for her because that was when she suddenly disappeared. Did Stitch take her?

Mariah is a creature of habit, and she wouldn't have gone on a trip without notifying half of Genoa City, like Abby, Tessa, Nina, Sharon, and Jabot, but she didn't. The obvious conclusion is that that Stitch abducted Mariah, but did he, and if so, why?

Stich was always very down to earth, and if, in fact, he abducted Mariah, it was completely out of character. The only explanation I can think of is that the loss of his son, Max, combined with the baby he and Abby lost because of Max, were so profound that it affected him mentally. Perhaps he abducted Mariah with the hope of taking the child Mariah was carrying to replace the one he and Abby had lost and his son Max, whose condition was deteriorating.

I would like to think that perhaps Mariah went into labor and Stitch was taking care of her, but that is a bit farfetched. He's a doctor, and he would have immediately taken Mariah to the hospital. The question still remains -- why did he take Mariah? A very curious mystery. I would hate to think Stitch has lost it, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I hope you have enjoyed my thoughts, opinions, and speculations about what has been happening around our favorite town. I would love to read your comments, opinions, and thoughts. Until next time, stay safe!Nel

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