Tension Ratchets Up Between Diane and Kyle as Summer Makes a New Hire — and Victor Forbids Nikki to See Jack

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At Crimson Lights, Summer and Kyle talk Jabot business. Kyle notices her checking her phone and tells her Harrison is fine. Just then, she gets a message from Claire and assumes something is wrong. It turns out it’s a picture of the boy with a caterpillar. Kyle thinks they can stop worrying. Summer admits it was nice of her to message them. Kyle asks if she’s changed her mind about Claire. Summer warns him not to push her, but says she would like to let go of her mistrust of Claire. Harrison deserves to be around someone who makes him feel safe and makes him smile. Claire does that. They laugh and she suggests they stop slacking off. Kyle asks, “Do we have to?” He admits he’s having trouble with Diane at the office. His skillset is stronger than hers. Summer doesn’t disagree with him. She learns he’s making moves behind his mother’s back and asks, “What have you done?”

At the Abbott mansion, Claire and Harrison discuss caterpillars turning into butterflies. “It’s a metamorphosis.” She muses about starting off as one thing and becoming something else. Harrison looks forward to seeing butterflies and they high five.

Nikki meets Jack at Society, and she senses something is going on with him. He asks if she’s had the urge to drink. Nikki just has news. “Jordan has been found alive” Jack’s relieved to hear she’s locked up in a maximum-security prison. Nikki tells him she didn’t feel the need to drink about it this time. She’s feeling more grounded. Jack thanks her for sharing her progress. He’s proud of her. Nikki asks what he doesn’t want to tell her. Jack tells her he’s reconsidered being her sponsor.

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Nikki completely understands. “Are you trying to tell me you can no longer be my sponsor.” Jack would like to remain as her sponsor but it’s affecting his family. Diane was terrified by what she did. “She is devastated by my choices.” Nikki understands. Jack has tried to reassure her but addicts can’t guarantee anything. Nikki asks if he’s been tempted to take pills since that night. Jack has gone to meetings and says he doesn’t want to take that risk again. Nikki will be forever indebted to him. Jack would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Nikki says, “And that is why you can’t be my sponsor.” She owes Diane for letting him be her sponsor. “Please don’t feel guilty about this.” He will always remain his dearest friend.

Victor spots Diane in the Club and walks over to greet her. “Were you trying to hide from me?” he asks. He sits down and recaps the night Nikki and Jack spent together. Diane says Jack had his reasons for doing what he did, he wanted Nikki to go to rehab. Victor says he could have killed them both. He says their spouses spent the night in a hotel room together. He was on pills and she was sloshed. “You don’t think that’s a betrayal?” Diane thinks what Jack did was selfless. Victor chuckles… is she trying to convince herself? He advises her to take a long look at the man she’s married to before he ruins her future.

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On Crimson Lights patio, Kyle tells Summer he cut a deal with Jasper Foley and when Diane found out about it, she warned him not to finalize. He did anyway. Summer gasps that he went behind her back. Kyle says it’s a good deal and the only reason is hasn’t progressed is because of her fragile ego. Summer reminds him his mother is his boss. She knows how much time and energy he’s poured into Jabot. Kyle worries she’ll destroy the deal. Summer agrees she is predictable. She recaps that she abandoned him and put herself first. “I don’t like it at all.” A lot of the issues in their marriage were because of her distrust of Diane, and now he’s feeling the way that she did. Kyle loves his mom, but he’s starting to see things about her differently. Summer advises him to be careful. “Don’t lose sight of your ultimate goal.”

At Society, Jack and Nikki decide they’ll still go to meetings together. He snarks that Victor will be happy. Nikki confesses she didn’t tell him she asked him to be her sponsor again. Jack tells her he warned him away from her. “He hasn’t forgiven me. I think he’s going to hold this against me for a long time.” Nikki says their spouses may not understand what they lived through that night, but they do.

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At the Club, Victor complains to Diane that her husband Jack is weak. “You, on the other hand, are a viper.” He thinks Jack has defanged her. “I pity you.” He gets up and walks over to the bar, where Michael says he was getting an update on Jordan. He wants to grab a drink and clear the air. Victor tells “Michael Baldwin” he betrayed him. “You’re fired.” Victor walks off and Michael walks over to Diane’s table. “Seems I’m out of a job. Want to buy me a drink?”

Summer runs into Sally in the park and they make small talk about the recent carnival, Harrison, and Connor’s troubles. Sally says she and Adam are doing great, but right now his son comes first. Summer finds this very mature of her. She’s had reason to doubt her sincerity in the past. Sally can’t argue that. She moves to walk away but Summer stops her. She says that it makes sense for her to step in for Chelsea, but she has trouble imagining them working together. That said, she thinks it warrants a discussion. Surprised, Sally says, “Yeah, let’s talk.”

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In the Club, Michael and Diane drink at the bar and commiserate about being upbraided by Victor Newman. Diane asks why he wields so much control. Michael asks about their intense conversation. Diane admits he gets to him. “I should know better.” Michael guesses he said something that somehow rings true. Diane confides that he’s mad at Jack for something he did to help Nikki. She sees it the same way Victor does, but she couldn’t admit that. “I find myself siding with Victor on this.”

Michael learns Jack took pills and overdosed. Diane doesn’t understand why he’d gamble with his life like that. Michael says Jack and Nikki go way back. Diane says it doesn’t sit well with Victor. Michael muses, “Nor with you, by the looks of it.” Diane reveals she threatened to end their marriage, so Jack backed down. Michael thinks that was quite a bluff. He asks if she’d have done it. Diane can’t live in fear of another night like that. Michael warns she’d better be prepared. Jack may have changed his mind about sponsoring Nikki, but he may resent her for putting him in that position. “They have a profound relationship.” Diane scoffs that she’s his wife. His love for her outweighs his concern for Nikki.

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Kyle arrives at home to find Victor eating milk and cookies with Claire and Harrison. The kid and his nanny head upstairs and Kyle sits down. Vitor says he has news about Jordan. His security team found her on the banks of the river and they put her in maximum security. Kyle panics and wants to beef up security. Victor assures him she won’t get out and he’ll make sure nothing happens to Harrison. Kyle knows Summer will be freaked out and asks if he can tell her. Victor agrees.

Victor then asks, “How do you like working at Jabot?” Kyle says things are great. Victor knows he’s working under his parents and guesses it’s hard to take orders from his mother. “You should be in her position. You know that.” Of all the Abbotts Victor has known, Kyle is the most like John. He shouldn’t underestimate his potential. Victor takes his leave and Kyle is joined by Claire. She says Harrison is worn out, and then asks if everything is alright. Diane comes in and asks what Victor wanted. Kyle says they found Jordan. She’s alive but in custody. Claire nods that he already told her. “He’s certain that we don’t need to worry about her anymore.” Kyle asks his mother if she’s coming from the office. Diane had outside meetings and hasn’t been to the office yet. Kyle asks, “With who?” Diane wonders if he’s looking for new ways to disparage her job performance.

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In the park, Summer tells Sally it’s not easy for her to trust her. Sally regrets what she did. Summer complains about her choosing Adam over her father. She hurt him. Sally won’t apologize for her personal life. Summer says she pushed her out of Jabot, but she can’t complain about how things worked out. She married Kyle in Italy, became Harrison’s stepmom, and took on Marquetti. “This company is very important to me.” Sally gets that. She loved running her own companies. Summer wants Marquetti to be a place where everyone can flourish. Sally finds this different for her. Summer isn’t the same person she was when they first met. Sally says, “Neither am I.” Summer can’t forget what she did to her, and she’d expect her best behavior at Marquetti. She doesn’t have the energy to hold a grudge, so if she wants the job, it’s hers.

Sally would be honored to be the interim creative director at Marquetti and is ready to hit the ground running. She’ll come by the office if that works for Summer. Suddenly, Summer gets a message. Sally asks if there’s a problem. Summer says everything is fine. “I actually have some time right now. Should we get to work?” Sally follows her, smiling.

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At the ranch, Victor asks if Nikki’s found a new sponsor. Nikki says she asked Jack to continue but her turned her down. “It’s been too taxing for him and Diane.” Victor asks how she could even consider this. Nikki says Jack has been a tremendous help to her as a friend and a sponsor. “I will continue to rely on him.” Victor bellows, “No! I don’t want you anywhere near that guy!”

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At the Abbott home, Claire heads upstairs and Kyle and Diane start bickering. She wants to know when he’s going to stop questioning her. Jack comes in and asks what’s going on. He tells Diane that it’s done; he’s no longer Nikki’s sponsor. “Does someone want to tell me what I walked in on?” Kyle grits, “Nothing. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.”

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Next on The Young and the Restless: Victor expresses concern about Adam, Audra and Tucker play cat and mouse, and Chloe works to repair her rift with Sally.