Chris walked into Michael's office and found him packing up her files for her to take with her to her next place of business. He asked where she had been and told her he was fighting not to come unglued. She wasn't interested in how he felt and told him as much, and he asked her if she would rather he didn't tell the truth. She told him she had no intentions of forgiving him and to stop acting like he had done her a favor. He asked her if they could just move on and forget this whole thing ever happened, but she had no interest whatsoever in doing that. He reminded her that going back to Paul would not be a good decision; after all, she is smarter and more ambitious than he is, plus, she'd have to deal with Mary Williams. As a last desperate attempt to win her back, he grabbed her and kissed her—Christine, however, didn't respond favorably. He started manically making jokes to keep her from leaving, and then told her all of the good ways she made him feel. She retaliated, saying he made her feel sick, which was visibly devastating to him. He asked her to give him some ray of hope to hang on, but she said she just couldn't.
Isabella was startle by Paul walking into the apartment. She tried to make small talk, asking how California was and Paul told her he had left Ricky with her parents. After that, the conversation was mainly Paul yelling at her, emphasizing their whole life was a big lie. She tried to explain, telling him she loved him and wanted to work through their issues, but he was not interested in listening. She tried to explain she was paying back a favor to Michael, and didn't mean to fall in love with Paul; it was just a coincidence, never part of the plan. After insulting her by calling her a "call girl," he told her she reminded him of the thieves he constantly encountered at work. He told her they want something they can't have honestly, so they con their way into getting it. Insulted, she asked why he married her in the first place—just to be a father? She told him she felt that he was still in love with Christine while they were married and he had the nerve to call her a cheat? After Paul told her that Chris came to California, Isabella really began to panic. She begged him to stay and try to work things out with her and continue their marriage. He looked at her like she was crazy, called her "deluded," and walked out the door. She started screaming, "Damn you, Christine!"
After she calmed down, she headed over to Michael's office, where he was daydreaming about his proposal to Chris. She told Michael she wasn't going to California anymore, and it was all Chris's fault. In fact, she said, Paul is leaving her for Chris, she had sucked him back into her life. No matter what, she said, she would do whatever it took not to let that happen.
Dru was doing her best to woo Damon Porter in Jabot's conference room, telling him she wanted him to replace Ashley during her maternity leave. Seeing right through her, he asked if she had any authority at all to be talking to him about a position at Jabot. She got flustered and asked him why, and he coolly replied that any experienced dealmaker would have immediately asked about his non-compete. He followed up with her because it sounded quirky, but he knew something wasn't right with her. Embarrassed, she told him to sit still and she would be right back, and that he wouldn't regret the short wait. He just laughed; amused by her.
Neil and Vicki were in his office discussing Damon Porter. He told her he had called him and left him a voicemail. Since it was nearing the end of the day, he decided to try him again, but realized the business card was not where he had left it. He started to get frantic looking for it when Phyllis walked in. He told Vicki to take off—he would let her know what happened. Once Vicki left, he turned to Phyllis and asked her if she had seen the card. She told him yes, and to calm down. He accused her of taking it, which made her angry, and she told him Dru was in his office earlier nosing around his desk and probably took it with her. Neil exploded and started screaming, and she told him he owed her an apology. He kept ranting and raving, saying how he couldn't believe Dru would do such a thing, and tried calling her on her cell phone. In the middle of the meeting, she blew him off, telling him she was in the middle of a very important interview. When he demanded to know with whom and about what, she hung up the phone on him. Enraged, he ran out of the office.
Diane went by to visit Jack after dropping Kyle off with Mrs. Martinez. She asked how things were going between him and Phyllis, especially with what was going on in their respective companies. Not wanting to discuss it with her, he turned the conversation to her. He noticed she seemed more at peace, and she told him she had moved on with her life, and that she was seeing someone new. He guessed that it was Andy ("the good St. Andrew") and she confirmed it. He was wishing her luck when Dru burst into the office and interrupted them. Diane quickly left, saying she was on her way out, anyway.
Jack jumped all over Dru, telling her she was pushing her luck, acting like she owned the place. She quickly squashed his protests, telling him not only did Newman want Damon Porter, but he was in their conference room this very minute, waiting for an offer. Jack asked if she was sure Newman wanted him, but she didn't get a chance to answer—Neil busted into Jack's office screaming, asking where they were hiding Damon.
Jack's Office:
Diane lets Jack know she dropped off Kyle with Mrs. Martinez. She figures that something is wrong with his marriage by his facial expression and offers a shoulder. She even admits that she's moved on and dating now. He figures out that she's seeing Andy Richards again. He's never liked the guy but agrees he'd be good with Kyle. Later Dru bursts in in a rush to tell Jack something big. Diane excuses herself and Dru tries to tell him her big news but then Neil bursts in demanding to find chemist Damon Porter. Dru acts evasive. Jack lies to Neil that he had already invited Damon to interview at Jabot and in fact has already hired him. Neil rants and raves but Dru keeps him at bay and sends him off. Jack agrees to meet Damon but he will run the show not Drucilla.
Victor's Office:
Sharon stops by seeking advice from Vic. They agree they probably shouldn't be seen together but he gives her some hope to keep on trying to get through to her kids. He agrees to try to speak with Nick on her behalf.
Coffee House:
Nick brings Cassie by for a drink. They notice Cody is all dressed up for a big date. Cody sheepishly admits that he's taking Victoria out. Nick tells him to be careful: Victoria is a handful. Cody is aware and looking forward to it.
Isabella's:
Michael and Isabella commiserate over the seeming end of their relationships. Isabella wants revenge but Michael isn't interested in that he's still hopeful.
Christine's:
Paul and Christine talk about the Michael/Isabella situation. They can't believe what they did. Paul tells her he made it clear to Izzy that the marriage is over. She also told Michael it is over.
Winter's Apt:
Neil fumes at Drucilla for stealing Damon's business card form his office. Dru isn't fazed at all. What goes around, comes around she tells him. He used privileged info to steal Satine and now she's outplayed him.
At Gina's, Victoria confessed to Cody that she'd enjoyed seeing a movie with him earlier. It had been a long time since she'd laughed. Cody suggested that they ought to go out more often. He could tell something was on her mind, and he offered himself as a good listener. Victoria told him about her father's offer to mentor Nick into taking over Newman. She didn't blame Nick, but it had disturbed her. Since they were children, it had been understood that she and Nick would run Newman as a team when the time came. Cody speculated that her father hadn't meant to hurt her, but was merely trying to rebuild his relationship with Nick. Victoria agreed that was probably the case.
Responding to a summons from his father, Nick was obviously still in the mood to spar about Sharon. He'd heard from his mother that Sharon had been to see Victor. Victor admitted that Sharon had also seen him earlier at the ranch, when he was working out. After Nick made a sarcastic remark about how it must have turned Sharon on to see Victor working out, Victor asked him if they couldn't stop the hostility between them. He expressed his admiration for the way Nick had handled his children in Sharon's absence, but he wondered why Noah hadn't seen her yet. Nick told him that Noah didn't know Sharon was back in town. Victor told him that Noah had several times expressed his need for his mother. Wouldn't Nick consider letting Sharon see her son? Nick said he'd think about it. Later, when he went home, he overheard Noah talking about Sharon to Cassie. He finally told his son that Sharon was back in town. Noah said he wanted to see her as soon as he could, and even Cassie, obviously still disturbed by her talk with Larry Warton, said she wanted to take the chance to see Sharon, too.
Sharon admitted to Doris that she'd been out to the ranch. She'd seen Noah playing through the window, and it hurt her to be so close but unable to talk to her son. Doris wondered why she tortured herself that way, and Sharon said it might not all be hopeless. She'd also seen Victor, and he'd urged her not to give up hope. Doris wasn't happy to hear that Sharon had seen Victor, and obviously still believed he was responsible for the kiss Nick had witnessed. Sharon defended Victor, saying he was the only one of the Newmans who'd offered her any support, and her mother needed to let her suspicions about him go. Doris then said she thought Sharon's defense of Victor was rooted in the earlier memory of when her father abandoned them. She was seeing Victor as a father figure, but he was not Sharon's father. Later, while Sharon was alone, Nick called and told her that the kids were upstairs taking their baths, and if she could get there, she could see both of them.
Brad was annoyed at being left out of the loop on the Damon Porter hire. Jack insisted that Neil was hot on his heels, and he had to grab the R&D genius right then. Once Brad cooled off a little, both men agreed that Dru was getting a little too big for her britches. Jack suspected that Neil intended to take her down a notch or two for stealing Damon's business card. Brad wondered how Ashley would react to the news that Dru was responsible for hiring her replacement. Jack said any other time, they could afford to slow down while Ashley was on maternity leave, but not at this juncture, with Victor challenging them. Brad pointed out that Jack thrived on the competition as much as Victor did. After a bit more trading of insults, and Brad's insistence that Jack keep him involved in future Tuvia decisions, the men agreed to go together to tell Ashley, who Brad was sure was going to have a fit.
At Crimson Lights, Phyllis was disgruntled when Diane sat down beside her and offered her marital advice. Diane said what Phyllis should do was give up her job at Newman and focus on her marriage. When Phyllis wondered where Diane got off giving her advice, Diane said she was giving it because she knew Phyllis wouldn't take it; therefore, she'd ruin her marriage all on her own. Phyllis reminded Diane that she held an ax over her head. Any time she wanted to, she could take the little note implicating Diane in the pool house arson. Leaving Diane speechless, Phyllis flounced out and went to Jabot, where she was surprised to find Jack in a romantic mood. She questioned him about what he'd shared with Diane earlier in the day, but Jack insisted their conversation had been mostly about Kyle. Phyllis shouldn't let Diane get to her. Phyllis denied that Diane bothered her at all, then asked him why he was in such a good mood. She was skeptical when Jack told her that things were going much better for Jabot and for him personally, but she agreed to meet him at home later.
Dru countered all of Neil's complaints about the underhanded way she'd snatched Damon from Newman Enterprises by reminding him that he'd done the same thing by stealing Satine from Jabot. Neil couldn't stay mad at her, and the two of them ended up sharing a romantic interlude in bed, where Neil elaborated on all of Dru's charms. Later, as he dressed to return to Newman Enterprises so he could tell Victor that they'd lost their shot at Damon, he still couldn't manage to get mad at Dru, who flirtatiously told him that she'd set a wedding date for them.
Dru had some great news for Olivia about her engagement to Neil. They toasted their wonderful men, then Dru moved onto her business news. Olivia was shocked to find out about Dru stealing talent from Newman -- she warned her sister of the ramifications. Dru didn't like her being a spoil sport, so she left.
Neil gave Phyllis the bad news about Damon Porter. She was so upset about it, and the fact that Neil wouldn't scold Dru because he didn't want to lose her, that she decided that she would have to take the situation into her own hands. . .
Victor paid Jack a visit at his office. Jack was feeling cocky about his accomplishment, but didn't give Victor any facts about it. Victor wanted to remind Jack of his principal payment coming due. Jack was not the least bit nervous about it.
When Victor arrived back at his office, Neil wanted to see him. Victor was in a great mood until Neil told him that there was no contract to sign for Damon Porter. . .
Dru went to answer the door thinking that it was Olivia wanting to apologize for bursting her bubble. Instead, it was Phyllis and she wanted to make sure that Dru was ready for a long talk. . .
Cody and Victoria found out more about each other on their date. He had an extensive education and was working on his thesis in Cultural Anthropology. Victoria wondered why it had taken him so long to invite her on a date. They decided to do some dancing, slow and up close. . .
Brittany lit into J.T. about kissing her mother in public. He felt bad about it, but she wouldn't let up. She pushed farther wondering what had really happened when J.T. went up to the room with her mother. She figured out from his silence that he had actually slept with her! That was the last straw!
Brad and Colleen talked about how upset she was with J.T. She begged him not to go after J.T., but to leave him alone. She still wouldn't say what he had done, but made it clear that their relationship was over.
Sharon arrived for her visit with the kids. Noah was all dressed up in a suit, he was so excited to see his mother. Sharon was moved by his loving attention, but hurt, as expected, by Cassie's hatred toward her. Sharon tried to help Noah understand that Cassie had a right to her feelings and so did he. Sharon went to leave and Nick talked to her. She made the mistake of acting like he may have said something to the kids to make things worse. Before she left the doorstep, Noah came out and begged her not to leave them again.
Ashley met with Jack and Brad, and before they could tell her about hiring Damon, she said she'd been thinking of getting someone to do R&D while she was out on maternity leave. Relieved, they told her that Jack had already hired Damon. Ashley was furious that Jack hadn't consulted her or let her interview him to make sure he was a good fit. When they told her how pressed for time they were because Newman wanted him, she asked how they knew. After hearing that Dru was involved, Ashley was even more annoyed. In her opinion, Dru was untrustworthy and should be thrown out on her ear. Before she stormed out of Jack's office, she said that she would talk to Damon, and whether or not he'd signed a contract, if she didn't think she could work with him, Damon was history.
Victor was enraged to hear the truth about how Jabot had found out Newman Enterprises was trying to hire Damon for Satine's R&D. He said the only reason he'd tolerated Drucilla's impertinent visit to his office was because she was Neil's fiancée. When Neil defended Drucilla, saying she'd seen stealing Damon's business card as payback for Neil betraying the information she'd given him in order to help Victoria acquire Satine, Victor wasn't buying it. He said they hadn't stolen Satine; they'd outbid Jabot. That was business. The time might come would Neil would have to choose between his loyalty to Newman and his love for his fiancée. Neil said it was pointless to dwell on the loss of Damon. They had an R&D department to put together. Victor agreed that they needed to get to work and hire someone else, but he also warned Neil that he'd better never see Drucilla at Newman Enterprises again.
Dru was unmoved by Phyllis's threats of retaliation from Newman Enterprises. In fact, she demanded that Phyllis leave her apartment. Phyllis said that what Dru had done to acquire proprietary information was probably illegal, and Victor would probably file suit against her. Furthermore, Dru had jeopardized Neil's job. No doubt Victor was even then handing Neil his head on a silver platter. Dru dismissed Phyllis's warnings and said in any case, there was no proof. At that point, both women spied Damon's business card on the table and made a grab for it. Phyllis got it first and stuffed it down her blouse, then left the apartment with a victorious smile.
Nikki was happy to see Victoria in a good mood after her date, but she promised not to pry when Victoria said she didn't want a big deal made of it. She'd simply had a nice evening. When Nikki brought up business, the two disagreed about how things were going to play out between the rival companies. Victoria said Nikki was probably going to lose her 35 million dollar investment, which she should have thought of before she invested it in the company of Victor's nemesis. Nikki said that cosmetics was only a small part of what Newman did. It was Jabot's entire field of expertise, which gave Jabot the upper hand. She was also worried about the effect all of this would have on Victoria's relationship with her father. Victoria admitted that she wasn't pleased about Victor's offer to mentor Nick into taking over Newman Enterprises, but the only means she had for breaking through his male chauvinism was success. Nikki wondered how it would be if Victoria didn't succeed. Victoria said she was tired and going to bed.
After Noah ran outside and begged Sharon not to leave, she promised she'd see him again soon. In the meantime, she was expected home to stay with Grandma Doris. Nick told Noah to get ready for bed; he'd be up to tuck him in later. After Noah went inside, Nick turned on Sharon, demanding to know how she could accuse him of turning Cassie against her. Sharon tried to explain all the things she was feeling. She'd left town because she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown after months of rejection and recriminations from Nick. She hadn't thought that was any way for the children to see her. It had been a mistake to leave, but unless Nick had ever stood on the edge of that precipice and feared falling into an abyss, he couldn't understand what she'd gone through. She went on to say that his worst mistake had probably been marrying her. Nick disagreed, saying that everything amazing that had happened in his life, Sharon had been a part of. He didn't hate her, just some of the things she did. When Sharon tearfully turned to leave, asking him to tell Noah she'd see him again soon, Nick told her to stay. The kids needed her, and she needed the kids. And if she stayed, she could see for herself how he dealt with them.
Brittany hounded J.T. for more details about what had happened between him and her mother. As sickened as she was by the whole thing, she didn't really blame him. He was just a horndog who'd taken advantage of a situation because his girlfriend hadn't been having sex with him. J.T. said it wasn't like that. He'd merely been trying to comfort Anita. It had only happened once, and he was sorry for it. Especially because it had cost him the one thing he believed in--Colleen. Brittany was sure that J.T. could talk his way out of it, as he always had before. Colleen would forgive him. J.T. doubted it, but when Brittany told him to leave and go apologize to Colleen and make things right with her, he left Crimson Lights feeling slightly more hopeful.
When Colleen showed up at the boutique, Lauren told her that J.T. wasn't working. Colleen said she didn't want to see him. She handed Lauren the locket and the bracelet and asked her to return them to J.T. When Lauren expressed shock and reluctance, Colleen told her that she was sorry she'd ever trusted J.T. He hadn't really been willing to wait until the time was right to have sex with Colleen. Instead, he was getting what he needed from Anita Hodges. When Lauren denied this, taking up for J.T., Colleen realized that J.T. had confided in her. She accused Lauren of helping him cover up his mistakes by picking out presents for her, when what she should have done was encourage him to tell Colleen the truth. She asked Lauren to give J.T. a message. She didn't ever want to hear from him again. No phone calls, emails, or visits. Lauren said she'd return the presents to J.T., but Colleen could deliver her own messages. Annoyed, Colleen started to leave the boutique, only to come face to face with J.T. at the door.
