Amanda Has a Tense Encounter With Billy and Sally — and Phyllis Reaches Out to Nick

At the Athletic Club, Sally chats to Billy about their morning walk in the park and meditation, as he stares at his phone. Working to get his attention, Sally wants to talk about her ideas for the Abbott Communications launch party. She thinks they should run with a theme, like future forward, or Night of the Hollywood stars. He says they all sound great and she should do whichever she likes best. She assumes something is wrong. The Abbott claims he’s been having a top-notch day. He touched grass with his toes and everything.

Sally can see that Billy’s wound up and assumes that what Nick said about him firing Phyllis got to him. Billy insists that Nick didn’t get under his skin. She assumes he feels guilty because he has a big heart. Billy insists he’s not second-guessing letting Phyllis go; he’s confident she’ll land on her feet. Sally worries what will happen in the future, given he told Phyllis this was only a leave of absence. Billy only said that to soften the blow. Sally hopes that’s true since she just blew up her career to work with him. Billy repeats that he is committed to her and there’s no scenario where he will replace her with Phyllis or anyone else.

Sally backs down, and they get back to discussing the launch party theme. She wants to do something exciting and contemporary but also familiar. They need to stress connectedness and convince people that they are inviting and trustworthy. To distinguish themselves from Newman Media, she suggests they be cutting edge and retro at the same time. Billy loves the idea; they can pitch themselves as a return to the trustworthy. She evisions the party as surrounding the dawn of TV in the 50s and using that as a metaphor for the return to decency and elegance in media. Billy thinks this is brilliant; she’s inspirational. He’s sure she’ll be a superstar. Taking Sally’s hand, Billy tells her he no longer feels like eating breakfast. He suggests they go up to her suite and stop talking. They drop their napkins and walk.

Amanda Shuts Down Phyllis’ Interest in Dumas

At Society, Amanda grills Phyllis about trying to get in touch with Dumas. When Phyllis tries to cover, her friend explains that she’s Aristotle’s legal counsel. She asks what she’s after with her boss, Phyllis replies, “My entire future.” Amanda is sure she is being overly dramatic, but Phyllis is insistent. They go over how horrible Phyllis’ year has been, and she thanks Amanda for all their talks over the phone. Phyllis complains that she was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but Billy was too frustrating to work with, so she had to quit. Now, she wants to create a company with her son. All she needs is someone with deep pockets who can respect her vision. She’s sure Dumas could be such a person and Amanda could talk him into it. “It’s not going happen,” Amanda bluntly says. Her friend won’t give up and begs for fifteen minutes with her boss. Amanda explains she already talked to Dumas about her, assuming she was after financial backing. She sang her praises and left out the dicey details, but it was a definite “no”.

Phyllis asks about what Dumas’ other priorities are, but Amanda won’t say. She assumes that Phyllis won’t drop this, but warns that nothing will change. “I just need a little money,” Phyllis pleads. Her friend asks about her idea. Waving her hands, Phyllis says it’s “a lotta things” and she’d like to pitch them all. The lawyer realizes she has no idea what her business is supposed to be. “Media, media…that’s what it is,” Phyllis says, speaking vaguely about using linear influencers and AI. Amanda says her boss has no interest in media. Phyllis wonders why he reached out to Billy about Abbott Communications. She realizes Dumas must be interested in Chancellor. Her friend refuses to discuss this, but Phyllis can’t stop gushing about how great it would be if Nikki and Victor lost Chancellor. She offers inside information. Amanda repeats that her boss isn’t interested. She urges her friend to let this all of this go. “Forget about Dumas. Move on,” Amanda urges.

Once Amanda leaves, Phyllis calls Summer in Milan and teases her about going out for drinks with her new hire. They agree to talk more tomorrow and she tells Summer how proud she is of her. After she gets off the line, she thinks of calling Daniel but decides against it. She calls Nick instead, leaving a message to thank him for offering his support whenever she needs it… she may take him up on it.

Damian Asks Amy to Move in with Him

At Nate’s penthouse, he and his cousins discuss their shock at discovering that Amanda is Aristotle Dumas’ legal representative. Devon wonders what it means. Before they can mull that over, Amy arrives with Damian. She feels good to be back with the people she cares about. They talk about the restaurant they went to and Devon notices they seem close again; it must be a relief for Damian to let go of the anger. Taking his mom’s hand, Damian explains how grateful he is to have the chance to move past the anger and get to know his mom all over again. As they hug, Nate and Lily smile. Devon looks unimpressed. Damian tells his mom he’s a different man and will always be there for her. This is more than Amy could have hoped for. Her son says she deserves it.

As they all sit, Lily explains they’ve had the paperwork drawn up for Damian’s job offer and, given his experience, they think he could oversee their hotel chain. Damian thinks it’s a good fit and asks if his brother is on board. Nate feels this could be great. As Damian shares his excitement, Devon leaps in to ask if he knows Amanda Sinclair. Damian has never heard of her. They drop that and get back to talking about his plans to move to Genoa City. He thinks that his mom should make a home there with him. That sounds great to Nate but Amy finds it hard to imagine, given that she’s spent the last year planning for the end. A reunion and goodbye were the most she expected. Her son wants them to be together for whatever time she has left. Damian thanks Nate for helping them see this through. He’s starting to feel like a whole new family is coming together. Amy thinks packing will be overwhelming, but her son assures her he will find them a place.

Devon crosses the room to get some water and Lily follows, noting he’s been silent beyond grilling Damian about Amanda. She thinks he could have been more diplomatic for Amy’s sake and senses something is bothering him. Her brother explains he’s suspicious of Damian; this is all coming together too easily. Plus, Amanda just showed up to tell them Dumas is not a threat. There are too many coincidences for him. It doesn’t help that Damian is pursuing his sister. Lily says she feels like they can trust him. He hopes she’s right and they aren’t opening the door to a tiger. Devon announces he needs to take his son to baseball practice. He welcomes Damian to the company and exits. Nate strolls over to Lily and asks if everything is alright.

Amy is tired, so Nate offers to take her up to her room and fix her blinds. Once they head off, Damian asks Lily if everything is cool with her brother. He wonders if Devon’s not sold on him joining the company. Lily says he’ll come around. When Damian asks if she trusts him, she says, “I’m getting there.” That sets him off. He doesn’t know what else he has to do to prove himself after agreeing to walk away from his job and life in L.A. Calming him, Lily says she was joking. She trusts him and they will welcome him to Winters Inc. with open arms. This is starting to feel like a beginning. They are both looking forward to where this can go. Nate stands on the stairs and watches them.

Amanda Raises Billy’s Suspicions

Billy and Sally stumble down the stairs of the Athletic Club after their romp in her suite. They are startled to bump into Amanda when they step into the foyer. He introduces the two women. Amanda remembers her as the woman who teamed up with Tara to drive Summer out. Sally assures her she’s changed. Billy bluntly asks Amanda if his mom sent her. Jill didn’t send her. She explains that she and Jill parted on very good terms and she’s moved on to being Dumas’ legal counsel. They argue about his mom selling the company to Victor and he asks if she had anything to do with it.

Amanda claims she urged Jill to reconsider and give him another chance. He thanks her for going to bat for him. The lawyer says his mother is in a lot of pain over her choice and she urges him to reach out to her and make peace before it’s too late. Billy doesn’t want to talk about his mom anymore and asks what Dumas’ business with the Winters family is. She can’t say. Billy complains that he’s been trying to get a meeting with her boss for months and they keep stringing him along. Amanda offers to see what she can do and walks off. Sally says she does not care for that woman. Both she and Billy assume she is hiding something. “This whole situation is getting very suspicious,” he says.