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At Crimson Lights, Audra fumes as he can’t get a hold of Kyle. She decides to track him down.
At Society, Diane and Jack tell Claire they’d like nothing better than for her and Kyle to join them. They chat about Harrison and Diane says that Kyle was the same way as child. It’s a shame when the trust and openness go away. Kyle snarks about it happening too young for him. Jack tells Claire that with Harrison back in school, they weren’t sure how much they were going to be seeing of her. Kyle says she’s helping him find a new home. Just then, Kyle’s phone dings. Jack notices Audra outside and tells his son his business partner is looking for him. Kyle excuses himself. Claire thanks Jack and Diane for letting them join them. Jack tells her he appreciates what she’s trying to do, but healing this rift in their family is a bigger task than any one person should take on.
Outside, Audra angrily tells Kyle she just came from Victor’s office, and can’t believe he’d stoop so low. He asks what she’s ranting about. Audra accuses him of telling Victor she revealed his identity to Nate and deliberately trying to freeze her out. Kyle says if she revealed confidential information, that’s on her, so don’t try and drag him into it. Audra asks how stupid she thinks she is. Kyle’s sorry she was fired for something so avoidable. Audra hates to disappoint him, but she didn’t get fired. Kyle shrugs, “Not yet.” He warns that she screwed up and trying to shift the blame won’t save her now.
Kyle rejoins Claire and his parents inside Society and tells the blonde they should get takeout and go. Diane’s taken aback. Kyle says he has something to take care of, is that so hard to understand?! Diane wants to talk and asks Claire to excuse them. Kyle stops Claire from leaving. He tells his mother they’ll talk… but not there. He and Diane walk out.
Victor encounters Billy at the Club and needles that he’s been thinking about him. He predicts his latest venture will fail, and asks why he didn’t get an invitation to his launch. Billy tells him one day soon he’ll be eating his words and will have to admit he’s wrong about him. Phyllis appears as Billy informs Victor that Abbott Chancellor is coming out swinging and he won’t know what hit him. Victor laughs and urges him not to choke on his French fries.
Victor walks off and Phyllis joins Billy. She’s impressed by him going head-to-head with the Mustache and offers to buy him a drink. Billy teases that he has very expensive taste. Phyllis asks if Victor was looking for a fight or something specific. Billy says he’s very upset that he’s running Chancellor and that it will be an incredible success as Abbott Chancellor. Phyllis asks if the rumors about a shake-up are true. “Is it true that you got rid of Chance and Lily?” Billy says it was for the best. Phyllis muses that he’ll need a top executive to jump in. Billy thinks it would be amazing if the person fell right into his lap. “You know, I didn’t really think this was going to be a free drink, but I didn’t think you would be this brazen about it.”
Phyllis can’t believe he’s mocking her for expressing interest in a job she’s over-qualified for. Billy’s just amused to find himself in the middle of a job interview for a position he never advertised. Phyllis is amused too because she didn’t even think about it until this conversation. Billy muses, “Right.” Phyllis thinks it’s a good idea… he has huge holes in his C-suite and is trying to launch a rebrand. Billy’s not so sure about this, but invites her to pitch him. “What makes you so qualified. Phyllis runs down her job history, including turning the Grand Phoenix into a world-class hotel. They also know each other and work well together, “I’m an asset to you.” Billy says she did good, but questions her quitting Chancellor Winters. She says it was because of her son. She asks about Lily. Billy won’t talk to her about that. Phyllis picks up her drink to go elsewhere, but he stops her. “Don’t go.”
In the park, Diane tells Kyle she doesn’t want to fight anymore and asks him to hear her out. She goes over how inseparable they were when he was a boy. She made horrible mistakes after that, and wants to hear how he really feels about it. “Do you resent me? You know, down deep inside?” Kyle scoffs at her wanting to rehash ancient history. Diane says it’s not ancient if it’s still bothering him. Diane worries the gulf between them will only grow if he moves out. Kyle accuses her of making this all about her. He wants to move out because that’s what people do. Diane argues they’re his family. Kyle needs to finally breathe without everything being about her.
At Crimson Lights, Audra rants to Nate that Kyle, the spoiled brat, snake in the grass, pulled such a slimy move. She fills him in on him running to Victor and painting her as someone who couldn’t be trusted. Nate thinks that’s pretty low. He asks if she denied it. Audra explains she defended her right to decide who to trust. She doesn’t understand why he wants all of this secrecy anyway. Nate imagines that didn’t go over well. Audra fumes that her position is in jeopardy because that insecure little bastard, Kyle, can’t be trusted and is out to prove he doesn’t need anyone’s help. Audra beats herself up for not seeing this move coming. She rants that incurring the wrath of Victor Newman is not fun. Nate’s known him for quite some time now and knows how his mind works. He’s ruthless and always calculating his next move. “If you ever cross him, he won’t hesitate to throw you under the bus.” He warns that the Newmans draw you in, and then you find yourself turning into someone you don’t want to be.
At Society, Claire tells Jack she doesn’t know much about Kyle and Diane’s relationship. Jack says there’s a lot to know. Jack alludes to Diane’s long-term absence and her miraculous return. adores his wife, who is a testament to how much someone can grow… much like herself. They’ve both opened their hearts to a new life. Jack also knows what it’s like to be abandoned by your mother. He tells her about Dina. Claire frowns, “How painful.” Jack says that with time and patience came forgiveness. He sees the same pent-up rage and disappointment in Kyle, and he knows he can overcome it. He relays that Diane is sure Kyle hasn’t forgiven her. He hopes they’re working things out. Jack tells Claire that he’s come to think of her as family. Claire tells him that being with Harrison has been really fulfilling. She’s learned how a real family operates. Jack thinks she’s navigating everything very well. He’s grateful for her presence in both Harrison and Kyle’s life. He hopes she’ll stick around for a long time to come.
At the Club, Billy asks Phyllis to sit down and give him her vision for Abbott Chancellor going forward. Phyllis says if she was to come onboard, they would overhaul the entire IT system. They have to stay ahead of the curve. She says they should shore up cyber-security and staff up on an AI division. Billy muses, “Maybe bringing you on board isn’t such a crazy idea.” They both know she made that whole thing up on the spot, but it was good. Phyllis thinks there’s something else at play here. Billy admits there’s something going on that may change her mind about coming on. “We may be under attack… from Victor.”
Phyllis asks Billy if Victor has declared war. Billy says he’s triggered by him being in charge at Chancellor. He thinks Katherine’s legacy is being threatened and warned Lily to get out before it was too late. He figures the attack is in the works. Phyllis loves a real challenge, and it doesn’t get realer than defending herself and the company against Victor. She’s not afraid of him and Billy knows that she has no problem fighting dirty for something she cares about. Just then, Nick walks in and spots them.
At Crimson Lights, Nate tells Audra about getting tangled in Victor’s web of deceit. Audra says her situation is different. She’s not dating his daughter. Nate prefers she not deal with that man on any front. Audra appreciates his concern, but she’s not going to jump ship. She won’t give Kyle the satisfaction. Nate believes she can not only handle this, but knock it out of the park. Audra grins, “You really do believe in me.” Nate confirms it. Victor may have come up with the money for Glissade, but she masterminded the whole thing because of her brains, drive, and straight up fire. Audra nods, “I can do this.” Nate croons that there’s no limit to what she can achieve.
In a suite at the Club, Nate and Audra undress, kiss passionately, and fall onto the bed to have sex.
In the park, Diane complains that her mere presence is an affront to Kyle. He complains they tried to have a simple lunch and it all blew up because of her constant need for reassurance that all if forgiven. He accuses her of paranoia at Jabot. She seethes that it wasn’t paranoia. Is he lying to her or himself?! She doesn’t know how to talk to him anymore. His anger and resentment toward her is so over-sized that she has to assume that something deeper is going on. Victor appears as Diane suggests they moved too fast to reconcile and suggests they go to therapy together. Kyle can’t believe she’s pushing for him to spend even more time with her, sitting through sessions about her. “That sounds like hell on earth to me.” Victor emerges and tells Diane that Kyle is right. She managed to get her hands on her husband and her job title, “Why don’t you leave him alone.”
Diane tells Victor this is a private family matter and accuses him of using Kyle like he always has. Kyle insists he’s making his own decisions. Diane tells Victor to focus on his own family and leave hers alone. She stalks off. Victor guesses he pushed a button or two. He tells Kyle he meant what he said. Kyle appreciates the support, but doesn’t need him fighting his battles. Victor tells Kyle he should live his life as he sees fit and not worry about what his parents think.
At the Abbott mansion, Diane tells Jack she tried everything she could to get through to Kyle. Jack guesses he wasn’t interested. Diane rants that it just became another fight, and then it got worse… Victor showed up and gave his advice. Jack fumes at him whispering his vile nonsense in Kyle’s ears. Diane says now that he’s his boss, Kyle has no choice but to listen.
Claire finds Kyle in the park, and he asks if she’s disappointed in him. Taking his hand, she asks, “Why would I be?” He knows she wanted him to fix things with his parents. Claire didn’t expect it to happen in a day, and didn’t mean to put more pressure on him. Kyle tells her the sight of her makes him breathe a little easier. In fact, she makes everything easier.
At the Club bar, Phyllis tells Billy that she has one request. Whether or not he hires her, she wants him to consider something for the good of the company. “Hire Daniel back. Really. You’ve got to hire Daniel back.” Lily’s not there anymore. She fired him and they all know it was personal and not about his job performance. It would be good for the company. Billy can see the potential there. Phyllis warns him not to sit on this. Billy suggests she quit while she’s ahead and promises they’ll talk soon.
Nick sidles over to Phyllis after Billy leaves and says he really hopes that wasn’t what it looked like. “You trying to position yourself into Abbott Chancellor.” Phyllis says it wasn’t for her. “I’m trying to get Daniel’s job back.” Nick warns her Billy Abbott cannot be trusted, “Do not ever let your guard down with him.” Phyllis muses that if she has to work with someone, it’s better the devil she knows. Nick says she’s not hearing him. He’ll tell her something, but it’s off the record. “I think Billy’s days there are numbered.”
Phyllis asks, “What are you saying? Billy could be out of his own company?” Nick can’t say anymore, but asks her to trust him. Phyllis says no… he’s not giving her specifics. Does he not trust her now? Nick shouldn’t even have said that much. He doesn’t want to see her get caught in the fallout. He cares about her and wants to protect her. He asks her to take it at face value and not argue. Phyllis loves that he cares about her and is watching out for her, “But I can take care of myself. I’m not Sharon.” She thinks she should get ready, because she may have a big battle coming.
At the Abbott house, Diane freaks out over not being able to even have a conversation with Kyle. She doesn’t know what to do anymore! Jack hugs her.
At the park, Claire tells Kyle he has to get past what happened today. “Can you let it go?” Kyle smiles, “I can try. You make me want to.” He leans in and they kiss.
