At the bar at the Athletic Club, Nate sent a text message to Devon: "Can we meet to discuss my proposal?" Tucker approached. He said he'd heard that Nate had tried to have Victor committed, and he wanted to hear the whole story, especially the part where Victor caught on to what Nate had been up to. Nate stated he'd been trying to protect Victor. Tucker asked how, wondering if it was "by sending Victor to the loony bin."

Tucker told Nate he didn't take such stories at face value, but "this one" involved Nate, who was trying to work his way back into Tucker's son's company. Tucker claimed Nate had tried to take Victor out so he could slide back into the C-suite again. Nate denied it. Tucker asked Nate if he hadn't arranged for Victor to have an extended stay at a Geneva clinic for that purpose. Shocked, Nate asked how Tucker knew that. Tucker said information was available for a price. Tucker said he loved the idea of Victor in a straitjacket, with drool rolling down his chin.

Tucker said he knew Audra had offered Nate a role in their new venture. Nate asked about Tucker's involvement. Tucker said he'd been on the fence about including Nate, but Nate's move with Victor had won him over. Nate stated that Tucker's involvement changed everything for him. Tucker said his involvement didn't matter, but Nate claimed it mattered to him. He said he didn't like Tucker's connection to Audra or Mamie. Tucker said when Nate came to his senses, he knew where to find Tucker.

After Tucker left, Nate called Audra and said they had to talk immediately about her offer.

On the patio at Crimson Lights, Lily was working when Nick walked in and gingerly removed his jacket. Lily asked if he was okay because he looked like he was in a lot of pain. Nick claimed it had been a minor accident, and he didn't want to talk about it. Lily asked Nick for the full story on Newman and Nate before she, Devon, and Jill made their final decision about rehiring Nate. Nick said Nate had tried to get rid of Victor to clear a path for himself and Victoria.

Lily claimed it had sounded more complicated than that. She commented that Victor had pretended to be mentally unstable to set a trap for everyone. Nick said Victor had felt someone on his executive team hadn't been loyal, and it had turned out he'd been right. Lily asked why no one had thought it had been a good idea to send Victor away for treatment, even though Nate had been a doctor. Nick replied there had been other options that hadn't included shipping Victor off to some inpatient facility, and any doctor would have known that.

Lily told Nick that perhaps Nate had tried to protect Victor and Newman Enterprises. Lily suggested that maybe the Newmans had been too quick to assume Nate's intentions had been bad. Nick countered that Lily might be too quick to assume Nate's intentions had been good. He said Nate had had the most to gain. Lily asked if Victor would have fired Nick, Victoria, or Adam if they had done the same thing.

Nick told Lily that Victor had set the trap to shake out any traitors, and if any of Victor's children had tried to pull what Nate had, they would have been fired on the spot. He said Nate had attempted to stage a coup by trying to take advantage of Victor's supposed mental incapacity. Lily claimed people trying to orchestrate a coup usually tried to absolve themselves, and Nate had been trying to reinstate Victoria. Nick clarified that Nate wanted to reinstate Victoria so he could be her second in command; it had been a power play.

Devon arrived as Nick told Lily she'd dodged a bullet with Nate the first time. He claimed he had no idea why Lily would invite that kind of a threat back into their business. Devon said Victor had said the same thing. Nick received a text message from Victor: "Meet me at my office." After Nick left, Devon told Lily his visit with Victor had been illuminating. He said Nate had burned his bridges at Newman, and it seemed Nick felt the same way.

Lily told Devon she was torn and that Victor had set Nate up. Devon asked what it said about Nate for falling into a trap like that. Lily reminded him that Nate had been Victor's doctor, and he'd cared about Victor. She asked if Nate's desire to reinstate Victoria had been secondary to his concern for Victor. She said that as a doctor, Nate had always put his patients first. Devon replied that once Nate had gone into the corporate world, he'd "lost his damn mind." Lily suggested that maybe Nate had found it again.

Devon told Lily they had to take their company's stability into consideration because they had enough on their plate, trying to figure out how Tucker was trying to get Jill out of the picture. He asked if Lily wanted to invite another threat in. Lily said Mamie would be disappointed at them for turning Nate down. Devon believed Mamie would understand when they told her why.

Esther brought in a plate of cookies for Devon and Lily. She told them she'd been upset when things had turned tense at Chancellor-Winters. She said Mrs. C would be very happy they'd mended fences because family had been very important to her. She said if Nate would return, everything would be perfect. Devon said he and Lily had been discussing the possibility of Nate's return. Esther left.

Lily told Devon they couldn't hire Nate back just because Mamie and Esther wanted it. Devon agreed. He said Nate might need to keep failing before he learned his lesson. Lily suggested perhaps they were the only ones who could save Nate from himself.

Alone in her living room, Nikki poured herself a shot of vodka, knocked it back, took a mint, and hid the shot glass in her purse when she heard Victor returning with her tea. Victor said he knew Nikki had been putting on a brave front for her family, but she couldn't brush aside that alcohol had been injected into her. Nikki admitted she was struggling.

Nikki told Victor it had been nearly five years since her last drink, but her sobriety was gone. Victor said that wasn't her fault. He claimed he was responsible for what had happened because he'd had an affair with Eve Howard in the distant past.

Nikki told Victor she would reach out to her sponsor. She said she had a meeting to attend, and she wanted to go alone. Victor said he would contact Nick to see how he was doing. Nikki claimed Nick was putting up a good front, but he had to be feeling the physical and emotional toll from the knife attack. She also wanted to hear back from Victoria. Victor left for the office.

Nikki was about to leave home when she received a call from an unknown caller. When she answered, all she heard was music. Nikki asked who was calling and why. When she didn't receive a response, she disconnected the call. Nikki muttered that she knew the music, but she couldn't recall where she knew it from.

At the A.A. meeting, Nikki spoke about a recurring nightmare she'd had in the past where she'd find herself at a bar, ordering a drink, or hiding a bottle of vodka in a purse in her closet. She said the details always changed, but the panic always remained the same. She would wake up in a cold sweat, terrified she'd lost her sobriety in a weak moment. Sobbing, she said she'd had that same nightmare the previous evening, but when she'd woken up, she'd realized it hadn't been a dream.

Nikki said her four years, eleven months, and twenty-one days of sobriety were over, and it hadn't been her fault. She acknowledged that every alcoholic said that it wasn't their fault, but she explained she'd been kidnapped by a deranged woman who'd known her history and injected alcohol into her system through an I.V. She said when she'd regained consciousness, the demon had been awakened. She said she hadn't taken the first drink, but the disease didn't care how it happened; it screamed for more. Nikki said she was terrified, and she wouldn't go down that road again.

A short time later, Nikki reached into her purse, and she saw the shot glass she'd put in there earlier. The memories of her drinking from the bottle while she'd been held captive came flooding back. She dropped the shot glass into the trash, and she left.

At Newman, Victor asked how Nick was holding up. Nick said the pain was manageable. He said he was worried about Nikki, and he hoped she wouldn't go into denial about how traumatic the situation had been. Victor said Nikki was aware of it, and she was at an A.A. meeting. Nick asked if Victor had heard from Victoria. Nick said he couldn't believe she'd gone to confront "that con artist" Claire. Victor said Victoria and Cole were in Oregon to find out if Claire was their daughter. Nick was worried that Claire might continue playing mind games with them. Victor stated that Victoria would figure it out.

Nick asked Victor to tell him about Eve Howard, but Victor preferred not to talk about her. Nick insisted he needed to know what they were dealing with. Victor said Eve Howard had tried to kill him with poison, just like Jordan had tried to do. He said Eve had almost ruined his first wedding to Nikki because Eve had escaped from "a loony bin" and shown up at their wedding.

Nick told Victor that Claire and Jordan shared the same traits, and their family was lucky to be alive. He asked if Victor had been able to track Jordan down because she needed to be behind bars. Victor agreed, but Jordan hadn't been located. Victor added that he'd learned how important it was that they stuck together as a family. Nick agreed.

At the Athletic Club, Nate knocked on Audra's door. When Nate entered, he saw Tucker lying on the bed. Audra asked what was so urgent. Tucker said they'd been discussing him. Nate stated that Audra had neglected to mention that her venture involved Tucker. Audra asked Tucker to give them some privacy. As Tucker was leaving, he told Audra he liked Nate and that Nate had potential.

Nate asked Audra "what the hell" she was cooking up with Tucker and why she'd kept Tucker's involvement a secret. Audra said Tucker's involvement was purely financial. Nate said if Audra wanted him on board, she needed to tell him exactly what the new venture was. Audra claimed it wouldn't work if he didn't trust her. Nate said his trust had gone out the window the second he'd learned Tucker was behind her venture. Audra claimed she and Tucker were making a move on a company. Nate said it was a hostile takeover.

Audra told Nate not to sound so judgmental, since it was no different than what he and Victoria had planned for Chancellor-Winters. Nate reminded her that she knew he regretted doing that. Audra said Nate would come in after the fact. She said Tucker was targeting a company for personal reasons, and Tucker didn't want any part in the day-to-day operations. She said she would run the company, and she would build the team she wanted. Nate claimed Tucker had made it sound like he was calling the shots on assembling the team.

Nate said Audra had indicated that Tucker's interest in the company was personal. He guessed Tucker was going after Chancellor-Winters. Nate asked if she thought he would go along with that. She assured him they weren't going after Chancellor-Winters because Tucker wouldn't do anything to hurt Devon. Nate guessed it had to be Jabot because Tucker wanted to hurt Ashley and the Abbotts. Audra admitted that was Tucker's agenda, but hers was to take something good and make it remarkable. Nate asked if that meant destroying the Abbotts.

Audra asked where Nate's conscience had been when he'd booked a one-way ticket to Geneva for Victor. He said he wasn't as mercenary as Audra, Tucker, and the Newmans had tried to make him out to be. She claimed he didn't have many options. Nate received a text message from Devon: "Ready to meet." Nate told Audra that maybe he did have other options. He left.

Downstairs in the dining room, Victor asked Nikki about her meeting. She said there had been a few familiar faces, and she'd shared with them. She said it had been nice to do it in a safe place, but she couldn't believe she was facing it again. She thought her alcoholism had been a thing of the past, but Jordan had taken that away. She said it felt like the disease had been in remission, but it had returned.

Nikki received a call and declined to answer it. Victor asked what had her rattled. Nikki confessed she'd been getting calls from an unknown caller, and when she answered, there was only music playing. She said there was something unnerving about it. Victor suggested she not answer those calls because it might be Jordan trying to get into Nikki's head. Nikki said if it was Jordan, then she was succeeding. Victor asked about the music. Nikki hummed a few bars. Victor admitted it was unfamiliar to him. Nikki claimed if she could recall the music, perhaps she would understand why someone was tormenting her. Victor said he had an idea.

Nate joined Lily and Devon on the patio at the coffeehouse. Nate hoped it was a good sign. He asked if they'd made a decision. Lily informed him they had.

At Society, Nick left Victoria another voicemail message stating he was worried about her and that Victor had filled him in about Eve Howard. He said he understood she had to get to the truth about Claire. He told her to keep her eyes open because Jordan was dangerous, and she was still out there. He asked Victoria to call him.

In the jazz lounge, Victor asked if the piano player could play and identify a tune if Nikki hummed it to him. He agreed, and he identified the tune as "Kitty's Bounce," from the swing era. Upset, Nikki told Victor it was the tune she had danced to when she'd been stripping. She guessed the calls were from Jordan, who was trying to break her. She was worried it was just the beginning. Nikki said a woman she'd never met was trying to get to her. She said it was like Eve all over again, wreaking havoc. Victor promised he wouldn't allow Jordan to get to Nikki.

Jordan entered a seedy motel room and removed a disguise.