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Ashley joins Devon and Abby at Society for a catch-up. She tells them how good it is to be back home and how much of a surprise it is for her to be living peacefully with Diane. They chat about Dominic and how great Traci is with him. Eventually, Abby asks whether she actually invited them to breakfast to discuss this. Devon assumes she’s looking for information on Tucker. Ashley is concerned about his relationship with his father. He’s clear that he doesn’t want anything to do with him moving forward. That’s necessary since Tucker can’t change. If he was the only one involved, Devon would be dumb enough to keep trying but he has a family to think of. They doubt his father is capable of being truly sorry. Ashley says she thought they were really in love once. Furrowing her brow, Abby asks if she’s saying she could forgive him.
Staring at her glass, Ashley flashes back to her fight with Tucker at a cafe in Paris. She recalls that he became unhinged and accused her of being emotionally stunted because she was so obsessed with her family and their company. When she asks if he’s saying what they have isn’t meaningful, he snaps and yells that they have nothing — she made him worship her; that was the only thing that would get the “ice queen” to thaw, “And then…” Ashley asks him to calm down. He rages, “You want me to calm down?! Don’t tell me to calm down, because you destroyed me, Ashley!” He chuckles about being a fool. Ashley again asks him to keep his temper in check, but he says he doesn’t care anymore. He mocks her when she starts to cry. Screaming despite the nearby onlookers, Tucker fumes that Ashley destroyed him. As his rant continues, Tucker wipes wine from his face and smashes the glass on the table as he declares they’re done. Throwing a chair, he hollers in Ashley’s face, “You can go to hell!”
Abby snaps her mom out of her memories and hopes she wasn’t thinking about Tucker. Ashley admits she was recalling about the fight they had. Her daughter says none of that was her fault but Ashley still feels like she’s partially responsible. Devon insists his father is a narcissist who can’t take the blame for anything. He suggests her instincts just kicked in and she realized there was something off with the guy. Ashley still has a lot of regrets. Abby says he’s just a rage-filled man who masqueraded as the love of her life and Devon assures her that she’s the victim. Abby adds that she can’t go through this again so she needs to turn her back and forget about that guy forever. Her mom assures her that her eyes are wide open. She can be forgiving but she’s not foolish. She’s got his number and won’t be lured by his charms. The annulment is moving forward.
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Right now, Ashley’s just concerned about what Tucker’s plans for Jabot are. Devon knows how frustrating that is — he’s not sure what Tucker has planned for his company either. They discuss his interests in Chancellor-Winters and Abby says he’s looking to burn down the whole world. Disagreeing with this, Ashley thinks he wants to own the world. She thought he might be able to manipulate him but the only person who can is Devon. He would be the only person who could bring out his emotions. Devon questions pretending to change his feelings toward his father. Ashley says it would have to be genuine.
At the Abbott house, Diane fixes her son’s tie and Jack tells him how happy they are that this is his first day as COO. Jack informs them that there are wiring issues at the office so they have to work from home. Wherever they are, this is the beginning of a special part of Kyle’s career and his father is sure that John would be proud of him. That means the world to Kyle, who thanks him for having so much faith in him and promises not to let him down. They hug. Once Kyle slips on his jacket, he declares he’s ready to get back to work. He has a surprise in the works he needs to talk to his mom about.
Once Jack ducks out to see Billy, Diane asks her son if he’s made any progress with Tucker. Pouring tea, he explains that he thinks Tucker is taking the bait. His mom warns him not to get too confident but he’s sure Tucker is clueless that he’s working him. She urges him not to get cocky but he assures her that he can handle things. Luckily he has Audra has an ally. That worries her too. “Are you worried that I can’t pull it off?” he asks. Summer pops up and asks what he’s trying to pull off. She apologizes for walking in on a serious conversation and Diane explains it’s just Kyle’s first day back at the company. Kyle claims his mom still thinks he’s eight-years-old. Summer thinks it’s great he’s back working with his family and urges her ex not to let his pride get in the way of embracing his new position. She’s just there to drop off a gift for Harrison and to see Jack about a Marchetti issue. Since the office is shut, Diane suggests she stay and work with them. She reminds her that she and Kyle used to work at Marchetti and suggests he can help her out. Kyle makes an excuse, and exits.
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Summer surmises that Kyle can’t stand being in the same room as her. Diane asks if there’s any chance they could find their way back to each other. Summer doesn’t think that’s possible but also doesn’t see the point of all the animosity. Diane thinks her son is just sad. While Summer will concede that she started things toward the divorce, Kyle sealed the deal. She’s sure it’s hard for Diane to watch all this. If Diane is being honest, she just doesn’t like or trust Audra. Summer thinks that Kyle is just going through one of his muscle-flexing phases. His mom worries he may have gotten himself into something he can’t get out of.
At Crimson Lights, Tucker runs into Billy, who starts sniping at him for not having a real job. McCall is surprised that he’s managed to let his desire to crush him not get the better of him. If he’s going to threaten him, eventually he has to follow through. Billy likes holding damaging information over his head and thinks that strategy seems to be working. Pursing his lips, Tucker teases that maybe he’s already made moves to sabotage Jabot and he just hasn’t noticed yet. He gets distracted by a fresh batch of muffins. The Abbott doesn’t see the point of revenge if he’s not aware of it and tells him he’s a smooth operator. On his way out, Tucker suggests that he’s already lit the fuse. Chuckling, he leaves.
Billy sits down and flashes back to plotting against Tucker with his siblings. He told Jack that he suspects McCall may have gotten his claws into Kyle. Jack shows up and his brother tells him he just had a disturbing conversation with Tucker. “Is there any other kind?” Jack asks. His brother explains that Tucker is wondering why they haven’t exposed him. He was acting ominously calm and suggested he’d already set something in motion in Jabot to take them down. Billy is sure that Tucker is not bluffing. However, Jack is skeptical and reminds him about how bad he is at reading people. They argue about gambling and Billy insists that poker is all about reading a person and he’s good at that. He’s sure that Tucker has a strong hand. There’s a sneaky confidence at play as if he already has someone on the inside at Jabot.
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Jack guesses Billy still thinks Tucker has his claws into Kyle. This isn’t a conversation Jack wants to have, but his brother is sure that something is going on. Determined to keep digging, Billy promises not to say “I told you so” if he finds anything. Fed up with the conversation, Jack rises to go. Billy says he knows how awful this must be for him. Jack gets upset and warns if Tucker has his son in his clutches, he will find himself in a world of pain. Billy says the more he thinks about it, the more he thinks that Ashley is the key to taking Tucker down.
Kyle stops by Tucker’s suite at the Athletic Club and asks if he was behind the lights going out at Jabot. Tucker chuckles that he’s not an amateur and assures it wasn’t him. The Abbott asks McCall how he wants him to use his position now that he’s back on the inside at Jabot. After Tucker offers him his leftover muffin stump, he explains that he let Billy believe there is a metaphorical bomb at the company. He wants them to start sniffing around and he wants Kyle to keep him informed on what they think he’s up to. Kyle wants details on Tucker’s plans, but McCall merely tells him to keep playing spy and let him know what he finds out.
