At the Newman ranch, Nick wondered why Nikki changed her mind about helping him and Victoria regain control of Newman Enterprises. Nikki said she tried to convince herself that what Victor did was in the best interest of the family, but realized that he was doing it for his ego -- and she had to do what was best for Nick and Victoria. When Nick reminded her that things could get ugly if they wrested control of Newman Enterprises from Victor, Nikki said that it was a difficult decision for her to make -- after all, Victor was her husband -- but she was sticking by her decision -- that there was no alternative. She asked Nick what assurance she had that he wouldn't back out, and Nick said he wouldn't -- that Victor had left them with no choice.
Neil met with Victor at Newman and told him that per Victor's request they weren't making a big deal out of Victor's return as CEO. Victor asked how things were going with the Granville Global acquisition and Neil told him they were integrating the Granville operation into the Newman New Technologies Division. When Neil asked what was next on the agenda, Victor told him a little nuisance named Bradley Carlton.
In another office at Newman, Brad reassured Sharon that things would work out all right -- that Nick and Victoria wouldn't be down for long -- that it was just business. When Brad asked her what else was going on, she said she didn't want to discuss it. She changed the subject and asked him how Victoria was taking the news about her demotion. He said she was taking it hard -- she thought Victor had no faith in her. Sharon asked if it would affect their wedding, but Brad said it wouldn't. Brad's cell phone rang -- it was Victor asking to see him. Brad told Sharon he had to go and asked her if she would be all right. She assured him she would be, and thanked him for being a good friend before he left to see Victor.
Victor asked Brad what he should do with him -- if Brad thought he was an asset or a destructive force in the company. Brad said he was an asset -- certainly not incompetent, and Victor just wanted to assert himself. Victor told him that if he continued at his current level of productivity there would be no reason to let him go -- but that Neil was in charge of Granville Global -- as well as the New Technologies Division (which had been Brad's.) Victor also told Brad that he had doubts about his marriage to Victoria, but Brad told him to stay out of his personal life. Victor told him that he was going to be keeping a close eye on him.
At Lily and Daniel's, Colleen made it clear to Victoria that she had no interest in what she had to say -- but Victoria told her that she understood how hurt Colleen must feel knowing that she had slept with J.T. Colleen accused Victoria of being a liar -- Victoria said she made a mistake with J.T. but it had just been a one-night thing. Colleen accused Victoria of not caring about Brad. Victoria told her that she loved Brad very much and hoped they could all put this past them and move on. Colleen told her that when she had taken her to Fenmore's Boutique to help her shop for clothes (and bought her the friendship bracelet) that she had been touched -- but now felt it was a ploy to get on her good side. Nick called Victoria and told her to get to Newman right away. As she left, she told Colleen that this subject was too much for one conversation and asked Colleen to keep an open mind.
Back at Newman, Nikki and Nick walked into the office where Sharon was. Sharon told them she learned from Brad that Victor had taken over again as CEO. Sharon told Nick how sorry she was -- that she thought Nick had done a good job as CEO. When Sharon asked Nick what he was going to do, Nick was evasive, which hurt Sharon, who felt like Nick didn't even tell her what was going on in his life anymore. An upset Sharon left. Nikki felt it was best that Sharon didn't know what they were planning -- that at this point she couldn't be trusted to keep it to herself. Victoria came in and wondered where Brad was. When she found out Victor had summoned him, she was concerned that Victor might be firing him. Nick told her not to worry about that -- that even if that happened Brad still had his Newman stock and could be elected to the Board of Directors. Nikki asked what the details of the plan were. Nick said that everything was in the company's by-laws. Victoria said that Victor couldn't know what they were planning, Nikki said he could not have a clue until they were ready to make their move. At that moment, Victor entered and asked what move they were planning to make!
Colleen and Sharon ran into each other at the Athletic Club. When Sharon asked her if she was excited about the wedding, Colleen told her that she wasn't -- that she had learned that her "soon to be stepmother" had slept with her ex-boyfriend. Sharon sympathized and told Colleen that she knew about it. Colleen asked Sharon to talk Brad out of marrying Victoria. Sharon said that she couldn't do that -- that it wasn't any of her business. Colleen begged her -- she said all Brad needed was a nudge.
At the Athletic Club, Lily and Daniel picked up lunches that Gina prepared for them. Daniel told her to grab a table and start cramming for her big test. Lily told him she was prepared for it -- that she wanted to spend some time with him as they had not had privacy last night since Colleen stayed over. They discussed the situation about Colleen, Victoria, and J.T. Lily said they knew what it was like to have family problems. Daniel reminded her that Victoria wasn't family yet, and Lily wondered if she ever would be.
Later, at Newman, Neil ran into Daniel and acted very "boss-like." Neil pulled him into an elevator and Daniel told him he knew Neil didn't like him but he didn't appreciate being treated like a child. Using a sophisticated accent, Neil said, "Sir, would you terribly mind joining me?" and Daniel realized that Neil was pulling his leg. Neil took him to Fenmore's Boutique to pick out some more professional looking clothes. Neil picked out a couple of things, but Daniel said he liked what he was wearing. Lily (who was there working) agreed with Daniel and said that other young people at Newman dressed the same way as Daniel. Neil told Daniel to at least pick out a new pair of sneakers. Daniel agreed to that, and left Lily and Neil alone, where Neil told her that he was doing this for her -- but that if Daniel did well at Newman, there could be a promotion in his future. Lily told Neil how much she loved him.
Michael and Lauren went to breakfast at the Athletic Club and ran into Jill and Katherine. Katherine asked Michael how things were going with Mr. Gibson. Michael said Jack had come up with a new strategy to make Mr. Gibson agree to a settlement offer -- that Michael was dealing directly with Gibson's attorney, who seemed to be sensible and level-headed. He told them he hoped this would be behind them soon and he and Lauren went to their own table. Lauren was still confused as to why Michael was so involved in the Jabot case, and he told Lauren that Paul had dug up information on another lawsuit that Gibson planned to file until the incident with the tainted GloAgain occurred. Lauren was upset with Michael and said he was reverting back to his old behavior -- using personal information about a bereaved man to force him to take a lesser settlement. Michael said he was also looking after his mother's interests. He then received a phone call from Jack who needed to see him immediately at Jabot and their conversation was cut short as Michael hurried off.
Katherine wanted to know if Jack was in over his head at Jabot, and Jill told her that there had been so much going on that there were instances where Jack had to make quick executive decisions -- but in general things seemed to be getting worse, not better. Katherine said she would be doing something about that. She then saw the headline in the paper -- "Dead Woman's Husband Says Jack Abbott is Trying to Buy His Silence" and was shocked as she handed it to Jill.
At the Abbott House, Gloria was pointing out the same headline to Jack and a livid Ashley. Jack told Ash that Michael said that Gibson had been amenable to their offer, but was now going public. Kevin shot a suspicious glance at Gloria. Jack accused Gibson of doing this to "them," but Gloria managed to remind Jack that the headline mentioned him, not anyone else. Jack called Michael (who was breakfasting with Lauren at the Club,) asked him to look at the paper and then meet him at Jabot. Ashley was angry with Jack for not having double-checked the information about the first lawsuit. When Jack asked if they shouldn't have trusted Paul, Ashley said this had nothing to do with Paul. As Ashley and Jack argued, Kevin asked Gloria what she had done now and Gloria shushed him up. Jack and Ash decided to go to the office to start damage control. With the two of them gone, Gloria asked Kevin to check how the incident was being spun on the internet. Kevin checked out a few blogs and told her that there were a lot of negative feelings towards Jack. Gloria told Kevin that she had anonymously called Mr. Gibson and told him that Jack would be trying to blackmail him. Kevin asked if she realized the risk and then revealed to her that he had visited John in prison yesterday, and that John expected Kevin to keep an eye on her, but that he couldn't protect her if she kept on doing crazy things. Gloria said she was doing it all for John -- that his children were ruining Jabot. Kevin decided to go to Jabot to see what was going on over there.
At Jabot, Jack was using a new Voice Internet Protocol system on his computer to talk to reporters about the article when Michael entered. Michael, Jack, and Ashley all got busy making phone calls, and Kevin stood by asking if there was anything he could do to help. An angry Katherine called Jack and told him that she wanted an immediate meeting of the Jabot Executive Board. Gloria called Kevin on his cell to find out what was going on and learned about the meeting from him. Gloria insisted that Kevin bug the room so she could listen in on the meeting. Ashley asked Michael and Kevin to leave, as they were not board members. Michael left -- but Kevin stuck around as Jill and Katherine entered. Before he left the room, Kevin checked out the new Voice Internet Protocol system that Jack had been using -- he rearranged a few plugs -- and Gloria (at the Abbott House) was able to hear everything going on in the Jabot boardroom through her cell phone loud and clear!
At the Athletic Club, Colleen continued to badger Sharon to talk Brad out of marrying Victoria. Sharon continued to insist it was none of her business. Colleen thought that Brad didn't love Victoria -- that she was messing with his head -- that Brad was lonely and was only marrying Victoria because he couldn't have the woman he really wanted -- Ashley!! Sharon (shocked by Colleen's theory) asked if Brad had said something about Ashley, but Brad interrupted their conversation and joined them. Colleen left the table to get some cream as Brad told her that the two of them needed to talk. Sharon told Brad that Colleen was upset about his upcoming marriage -- that she didn't think he was in love with Victoria. Brad expressed his gratitude that Colleen had someone like Sharon to talk to -- and that once she moved back home they would be able to work this out as a family. Colleen overheard this as she returned to the table and told Brad that Victoria would never be a part of her family. Sharon left Brad and Colleen alone. He tried to talk her into moving back, but she said she wouldn't if Victoria was there -- she thought that Victoria didn't love him. Brad vehemently disagreed, and threw the J.T. situation in her face -- the fact that he had cheated on Mac, a woman he loved. Colleen said that J.T. never really loved Mac. Brad continued to put down J.T. and the two of them realized that they were trying to protect each other -- Colleen said that the difference was that she was not in denial about J.T., while Brad was about Victoria.
At Lauren's boutique, J.T. was looking around when Lauren approached him. He said he was looking for a gift that would prove he wasn't a jerk. Lauren guessed that J.T. was having girl trouble. J.T. picked out a keychain as a gift -- when Lauren said it wasn't very romantic, J.T. said it was just perfect. Later, J.T. stopped by Lily and Daniel's to see Colleen -- she was reluctant to see him and reminded him that this was not the first time he had cheated on her. J.T. promised he was sorry and knew he hadn't been a good boyfriend, but that he had changed. He presented her with the keychain -- and then followed it up with a key to his apartment -- asking her to move in with him!
In the Jabot boardroom, Jack was telling Katherine, Jill, and Ashley that Jabot's side of the story about the Gibson settlement would appear in the next edition of the Chronicle. At the Abbott House, Gloria and Kevin are listening in to the meeting -- Kevin told Gloria that he was able to set up Jack's computer to call his computer, and not only would they be able to eavesdrop on the meeting but that he was recording it. As they continued to listen, Jack told the group that he was confident that Gibson would eventually accept Jabot's settlement offer. Jack continued to defend his actions -- at the Abbott House, Kevin said he thought this was all boring, but Gloria was concerned the Katherine was falling for Jack's "lies" -- and said that Jack would be unable to run a lemonade stand. Katherine asked Jack why he thought Gibson went to the press -- she thought perhaps that Michael had said something offensive during the meeting where the offer was made. At Ashley's request, Jack then told Jill and Katherine about Paul William's discovery that the Gibsons were on the verge of filing a lawsuit against the restaurant where Emma had contracted food poisoning just a few days before using the tainted GloAgain cream. Katherine wanted to know if what Paul had done was legal, and was concerned that even more damage would be done to Jabot if the press knew that Jack had used questionable tactics to get this information. Gloria started to perk up -- realizing that she was getting some great "sound bites" from Jack. Jack said he needed the leverage to use against Gibson. After Jack said that he realized that Gibson was grieving, but that Gibson's primary concern now was trying to figure out how much money he could get for his wife's death, a thrilled Gloria told Kevin to turn the feed off -- that even she never thought that Jack could be so cruel. As the meeting continued, Jack promised he would, from now on, keep them all apprised of what was going on, as they needed to stick together.
Gloria told Kevin that the whole world was going to find out what an insensitive bastard Jack Abbott is. She begged Kevin to upload a few of Jack's "choice" remarks onto the Internet. When Kevin refused, Gloria pleaded with him -- she said Jack would never treat her like a human being -- that to him, she would always be trash. She begged Kevin not to desert her now. Later, at Crimson Lights, Kevin slipped a computer disk into one of their computers, and the words "Uploading Now" flashed across the computer screen!
At Crimson Lights, Phyllis reminisced about her conversation with Nick where they agreed that they would never stop thinking about each other. Michael greeted her, and after some small talk Phyllis asked about the article trashing Jack and how angry Jack must be. He told her that Jack was meeting with the Jabot Board as they spoke, but Ashley didn't want him at the meeting. He asked her, now that she was back at Jabot, if she could possibly put a positive spin on the story on the Jabot website. Phyllis said she was already working on that. Michael pushed Phyllis to find out the real reason she left NVP, but Phyllis didn't want to talk about it -- she said she was having a bad day. He told her he had some news to brighten her day -- that Lauren was pregnant! Phyllis was truly excited about the news.
Later, at the boutique, Lauren was starting to push Michael for more information on the Chronicle story about Jack and Gibson, but Phyllis interrupted by congratulating Lauren on her pregnancy. Phyllis handed Lauren a gift she wanted to give for Victoria's shower, and asked Lauren if she would give it to Victoria for her. When Lauren asked why she wasn't going, Phyllis covered by saying it would be tense between her and Nikki because of her leaving NVP. Lauren assured Phyllis that Nikki was able to separate business and personal matters -- but Phyllis said she was sure there would be plenty of guests there. When Lauren told her that there really wouldn't -- as Sharon was out of town in Paris -- Phyllis said she just might change her mind about going.
At Newman, Victor walked in on the meeting Nikki, Victoria, and Nick were having about deposing Victor as CEO. Though Victor didn't overhear anything about that, he realized that something was going on and wanted to know what it was. When Victoria questioned their right to some privacy, Victor said when his wife and his children were having conversations behind his back that he had a right to question them. Nikki told him that they were discussing what a monster he had become. When Victor asked if she called him a monster because he was trying to save the lifeblood of his family (the company), Nikki said that the lifeblood of their family should be love. Victor demanded that Nick and Victoria leave -- he wanted to speak to Nikki alone.
A few minutes later, Victoria told her assistant that she wanted a report, no matter what Victor had said. Brad stopped by and learned that Nikki was on board with their plan to unseat Victor. Brad told Victoria about his talk with Colleen -- that she was being protective, but at least the two of them were speaking again. Victoria blamed herself for the problems between Brad and Colleen, but Brad told her he didn't want Colleen or J.T. to stand in the way of their happiness -- that it should be a happy time -- they were on the verge of getting everything they wanted: getting married and taking over Newman Enterprises. Victoria reminded him that would happen only if they got rid of Victor. When she expressed her hope that Colleen would come around, Brad told her he let Colleen know what a great team they made. Victoria wanted him to demonstrate their great teamwork with a kiss, and Brad happily obliged.
Nick and Sharon ran into each other at Newman and he apologized for not explaining what was going on when she left earlier. Sharon said there was nothing to explain -- that Nick was obviously just betraying his father again -- she asked him if he ever tired of doing that. Not only that, she was upset that this plot was going on on the anniversary of Cassie's death. When Nick said that he could no longer live in the past, Sharon said her life was divided into two segments -- pre- and post-Cassie, and that everything had been going wrong since Cassie died. Nick wanted to discuss it further, but Sharon wasn't interested. As she walked away, she reminded Nick that he and Phyllis killed their marriage.
Victor and Nikki continued to argue after the kids left. Victor wanted to know what they had said to turn her against them. She said it was about the fact that he had not been showing her respect lately. He didn't understand why she felt that way -- after all, he had financially backed NVP. She reminded him that he had said that she could run it, but now Phyllis was gone, and she disagreed with the decision to do any sort of tie-in with Jabot products -- that the only reason he was doing that was to help Ashley. Victor reminded her that they both owned Jabot stock, so the better Jabot did, the more money they would make. Nikki regretted not taking Phyllis' advice to not allow Victor to join NVP -- Victor countered by saying that the company would have gotten nowhere without his guidance. Nikki said maybe not -- but it would still be hers. When Victor asked what all this had to do with Nick and Victoria, Nikki said it was another example of him doing exactly what he wanted to do -- and to hell with everyone else -- one minute everything was fine and the next minute he fired his own children. She begged Victor to do what was right and reinstate them right now. He reminded her that Nick was not doing any work and that Victoria was marrying a man he hated -- and that they were unfocussed. Nikki was sad that Victor threw it all away -- he could have been working with her and watch the kids carry on the family legacy. Victor went on about how many people would enjoy the lifestyle Nikki has enjoyed all these years and that he liked it better when she was just his wife. Nikki thought his chauvinistic attitude was long gone, and he said her outlook had overwhelmed her role of being his wife. She said that they were at an impasse then, and that she felt belittled. He said he felt betrayed -- and that he didn't give a damn if it was his children or her -- that if anyone crossed him they would pay a heavy price! He stormed out of the office, leaving a despondent Nikki alone.
Jack went to see his father in prison, explaining his strategy for dealing with Andrew Gibson's lawsuit. He insisted that Jabot needed to act from a position of strength, not weakness. John finally agreed that Jack was handling the situation the right way and offered his support to his son.
Ashley took Paul to task for investigating the Gibsons at Jack's behest without including her in their plans. Paul said he hadn't done anything that wasn't standard investigative work, and Ashley said even if it had all been aboveboard, she still resented being left out of the loop. Just as Jack had told John, Paul expressed his concern for Ashley's professional reputation. Paul wanted to protect and exonerate Ashley of any wrongdoing as much as Jack did.
Kevin explained to Gloria that he'd posted Jack's voice on a web site from the secret recordings he'd made of Jabot's executive meeting. He assured Gloria that it couldn't be traced back to him. Gloria thanked him for all that he'd done for her, and assured him once again that she was only sabotaging Jack to protect John's and her sons' interest in Jabot. Later, Gloria went to visit John at the prison. When she was critical of Jack, John spoke sharply to her. He reminded her that Jack had given his life to Jabot and only wanted what was best for the company. When he demanded Gloria's loyalty and support of Jack, she promised that she'd help Jack as much as Jack would allow her to.
After talking to Ashley, Paul had a conversation with Jack. He wondered if it wasn't time to back off Andrew Gibson a bit, and Jack said he wanted Paul to continue to get any information he could find on the Gibson family, at least until Gibson accepted Jabot's financial offer without insisting on an admission of guilt. Paul said that maybe since Jack had released a statement to the press that portrayed Jabot as much a victim as the bad guy, the matter could be settled quickly.
Ashley ran into District Attorney Bardwell at Crimson Lights. Although she was getting her coffee to go, he talked her into sitting down with him. He sympathized with the press her family was getting. Ashley said that sometimes it seemed like a malevolent force was working against them. While they were talking, Bardwell got a call letting him know that Jack's comments from the Jabot meeting were being broadcast on a web site. While Kevin watched from a distance, Ashley and Bardwell walked to a computer. Ashley told him that meeting had been private. Nothing should have been recorded or released to the public.
Sharon spoke to Victor about the rift between Victor and his family. She wanted to know if Victor's removal of Nick and Victoria as co-CEOs was based on Victor's anger at Nick because of his affair with Phyllis, and Victoria's decision to marry Brad. Sharon cautioned Victor that Brad had been good for the company and it would be a mistake to lose him. Victor told Sharon that she needed to focus on only one thing: putting her family back together and reconciling with Nick.
After Sharon left Victor's office, she ran into Brad. She warned him that an alliance against Victor would fail, and Brad should attempt some sort of compromise with Victor. Brad then went to Victor, offering to resign from the company if Victor would reinstate Victoria as CEO. Victor wasn't impressed with the attempt at being noble, and also noted that Brad was indifferent to what happened to Nick in all of this. He told Brad that he didn't trust him. When Brad warned Victor that he could alienate himself from both of his daughters, Victor let Brad know that he had every intention of exercising his paternal rights over Abby.
Victoria's friends gathered at the athletic club restaurant for the wedding shower Nikki was throwing for her daughter. Jill and Katherine updated Nikki on how things were going at Jabot, and Nikki spoke privately to Katherine about Victor's recent behavior.
Nikki was out of the room when Phyllis showed up, having been told by Lauren that Sharon wasn't going to be at the shower because she was out of town. When Phyllis asked Victoria if it was okay for her to be there, Victoria said she was glad to see her. She knew how good a business partner Phyllis had been to Nikki. She also told an interested Phyllis and Lauren that things weren't over at Jabot. She, Nick, and Nikki didn't intend to let Victor turn them all into peons again.
Colleen told Lily about J.T.'s gift of the key to his loft. Lily wasn't sure that was a good idea, but Colleen said if she decided to stay with J.T., they'd be in separate rooms. Lily was supposed to take Drucilla's wedding gift to Victoria's shower, and she wanted Colleen to go with her. When Colleen refused, Lily told her to do it to show support for her father, and also because Abby would be there. Colleen finally agreed to go, at least for an hour.
Nikki was shocked to see Phyllis at the shower. When Phyllis tried to talk business to her, Nikki frantically began pushing her out of the room. She told her that Sharon had already returned from Paris, and she didn't want her daughter-in-law to see Phyllis there. Sharon arrived before Nikki could get Phyllis out of there. Nikki then had to leave because she'd accidentally left Victoria's gift at the office. Phyllis apologized to Sharon for not realizing she'd be there, and Sharon asked her to leave. Phyllis refused, saying that Sharon had already hurt her enough.
Brad came in as Abby was watching Victoria open her wedding presents. Sharon managed to see him alone and discuss what had happened between Victor and him. Brad said that Victor's hatred for him was stronger than Victor's love for his daughter. Later, Sharon couldn't stop watching Phyllis and imagining Phyllis in bed with Nick. Phyllis was uncomfortable with Sharon's scrutiny, and after Gina left with Abby, Phyllis took the opportunity to leave the shower when Lauren did.
Colleen decided to make her move against Victoria. She made a toast about how great her father was, but urged him to postpone his wedding. To Victoria's shock and the guests' dismay, Colleen said that since Victoria had been sleeping around, they should probably wait to get married until after Victoria got her STD test results back.
As Nikki was getting Victoria's present from the office, she overheard Victor giving his attorney instructions over the phone about fighting his family for control of Newman. After Victor hung up, Nikki expressed her disgust with Victor's actions and the way he was treating his children. Victor expressed no hesitation about fighting his family for his company. When Nikki went outside to get in her car, she was attacked from behind by someone who was either planning to mug her or carjack her car. As she struggled with her attacker, Victor walked out. He pulled the man off of Nikki and tossed his gun aside. The gun went off, but it wasn't until Victor had beaten the man to the ground that he realized that Nikki had been shot in the back.
Nikki lies on the ground with a bullet in her back. Victor calls for help, and kisses Nikki until the police come. The police take the kidnapper away in handcuffs. Nikki is rushed the hospital. Victor calls Victoria goes to the hospital to see Nikki.
Colleen finishes the toast by saying that Brad and Victoria should postpone their marriage until Victoria gets tested for STDs. Brad is horrified by Colleen's words and demands that she apologize to everyone-especially Victoria. Colleen gives a half-hearted apology and Lily suggests they leave. Brad wants Colleen to go home. At home, Brad tells Colleen that he's never been more disappointed in her than now. He can't believe how Colleen disrespected him. Colleen says she is moving in with J.T. Brad doesn't understand how Colleen can forgive J.T. but not Victoria. When Brad gets a call from Victoria about Nikki, he tells Colleen not to go anywhere. Colleen leaves with her bags.
At J.T.'s, Colleen tells J.T. about her toast. J.T. is upset that Colleen would go so far. Colleen wonders if J.T. still wants her there. He tells Colleen that the only way things will work out for them is if she gets over this.
Jack listens to his words repeated on the Web site. Michael wonders if the meeting was recorded. Jack says they never record private meetings. Jack thinks Andrew Gibson is responsible for placing a bug in the room. J.T. comes over and searches the premises and discovers that the place couldn't have been bugged. Ashley suggests that maybe Jack had left the phone on before his meeting, but Jack calls and proves that couldn't have happened. Jack wants to take the gloves off and get Andrew Gibson, but Katherine and Michael tell Jack that is not a very good idea. When Michael leaves, a reporter comes up to Jack with a recorder. Jack tells the reporter that Andrew Gibson is an alcoholic and if he wasn't drinking that night, maybe his wife wouldn't be dead.
Nick asks Sharon how she enjoyed Victoria's shower. Sharon says she had a horrible time, Phyllis was there. Nick says that Sharon is bound to see Phyllis one time or another. Sharon is upset that Nick does not sympathize with her. Sharon wonders why Nick is always sticking up for Phyllis. Nick doesn't think that he does, and Nick and Sharon begin arguing. Nick says he's not sure what else he can do. Sharon agrees, she thinks it's time for a separation. Noah comes in crying and asks them to stop fighting. Nick gets a call from Victor and Nick has to rush off to the hospital. Sharon tries to make Noah feel better by taking him riding, but Noah doesn't talk much. He asks Sharon if his parents are getting a divorce. Sharon admits to Noah that they will be living apart for awhile.
She hears how Victor saved Nikki's life and tells Nick that she was so angry with her father, but is not anymore. The doctor says that Nikki has to go for surgery. Victor, Victoria and Nick go with her. Nikki is happy that everyone is there as she goes in for surgery.
Jack made headlines again with his accusation that Andrew Gibson was an alcoholic whose condition left him unable to take his wife to the hospital when she had a reaction to Glow Again. Katherine was furious that Jack had spoken to the press after she and Michael specifically told him not to. Jack's actions prompted Gibson's attorney to call for a nationwide boycott against Jabot products. While Katherine, Jill, and Ashley all had harsh words for Jack, Phyllis took a lighter approach, telling him that he'd "pulled a Phyllis" by impulsively speaking before he thought. She promised him that no matter what the outcome of Jabot's crisis, she would stay by his side and help him through it. Katherine hired an outside consultant to assist Jabot with improving their public image. She ordered Jack to do whatever the consultant told him to do.
J.T. told Colleen that her attitude and behavior toward her father and Victoria were childish. He also told her about some of the problems Jabot was having. Colleen went to Jabot and told Jack that he wasn't the only one who'd said something and gotten in trouble. Katherine directed some critical remarks at Colleen for her "toast" at Victoria's shower, and Ashley wondered why Colleen was behaving so badly. When Colleen asked to speak privately to Ashley, she told her aunt the truth about Victoria's one-night stand with J.T. Ashley told her that going to Brad's wedding and offering support to her father wasn't the same thing as hypocritically pretending to approve of Brad's marriage to Victoria. Brad was her father and had been very good to her. Out of love and respect for him, she should be at his wedding, the same way she would want him to be at her wedding. Colleen thanked Ashley for giving her good advice and went back to the loft. She told J.T. she'd changed her mind. She would go to Brad and Victoria's wedding if J.T. would go with her.
Nikki came through surgery okay, and the pressure on her spine had been relieved. In fact, her doctor thought she could be released later that day. Victor made arrangements for a nurse to help her at home, and Nikki was also going to need physical therapy. The doctor promised to find her a means of managing her pain that wouldn't be a threat to her recovery from her addiction to painkillers. Both Victor and Nikki apologized for the angry words they'd exchanged over the previous few days, and neither of them wanted to discuss business again.
Sharon came to the hospital with breakfast food for everyone. She seemed conflicted about her feelings for Nick. When they talked about being in the hospital the year before for Cassie, Sharon leaned on her husband so they could share their sadness. But she was also determined that she and Nick would separate for a while. She accused Nick of putting business before family because of his continued anger at Victor. Nick was furious to find out that she'd told Noah that Nick wouldn't be living with them for a while. He said he had a right to be there when Sharon had that talk with their son. He couldn't stop her from becoming more distant, but Nick absolutely would not let Sharon undermine his relationship with Noah. Sharon protested that she wasn't trying to do that; she'd never said anything negative about Nick to Noah.
Brad was willing to postpone his marriage to Victoria, and Victoria agreed that she didn't want to have a wedding until her mother could be there. When Nick and Victoria visited Nikki, Nikki was pleasantly surprised to hear that Sharon was there. And she insisted that Victoria and Brad go ahead with their marriage as planned. Especially after she found out about Colleen's sarcastic toast to Victoria, she wanted the rest of the family to pull together. Later, Victor was in the waiting room when Victoria came out, hugged Brad, and told him the wedding would take place as planned at Nikki's request.
Drucilla got Lily's midterm grades, which weren't very good. When she confronted Lily, Lily said her grades would be pulled up by the end of the term. Drucilla urged her daughter to annul her marriage to Daniel and focus on her future before it was too late. Lily angrily told her mother that she loved her husband. At least the two of them were honest with each other, which was something her mother hadn't been with Neil.
Neil was impressed with the way Daniel was handling himself at Newman. He told him that other people who'd started in the mailroom had achieved great things at Newman. Later, Neil defended Daniel to Dru, who couldn't believe her ears. Neil said that Lily was responsible for her own grades. They couldn't blame Daniel if Lily wasn't applying herself. Neil was beginning to think that they'd misjudged Daniel.
When Lily found out that Daniel hadn't received an email she'd sent him that angrily discussed her mother's visit, she realized she'd made a mistake. Instead of sending it to Daniel's email address at Newman, she'd sent it to her father. She frantically begged Daniel to figure out her father's password or stall him until she could get to Newman Enterprises. Her father must not read the email.
Neil found Daniel trying to log in to his account on the computer. While Daniel tried to explain that it wasn't how it looked, Neil logged in and realized Daniel had been trying to stop him from seeing Lily's email. Lily got there just in time to hear her father trying to figure out how Dru had been lying to him about Malcolm. He asked Daniel to leave him alone with Lily, then he demanded that his daughter tell him what she'd been talking about.
