Sharon Grills Phyllis After Finding Her Alone With Nick — and Amanda Sinclair Returns

Billy’s irked as he thought he was supposed to share his feelings. Sally says having the same conversation repeatedly isn’t supportive, it’s enabling. Billy’s embarrassed. He would love to let go of the things in his head, but he can’t do it. Sally can tell. She reminds him they’ve tried to take him down before and he’s still there. Any power they have over him, he’s given them by worrying what they might pull.

Billy warns the attack is coming. Sally points out it might not gain any traction. Who’s going to believe an attack on a company that doesn’t exist yet. Billy argues they’ll do damage, and every outlet will pick it up. Sally complains, “Billy, there’s so much anger.” Billy can’t get rid of it… but he wants to. Sally tells him to sit and do exactly as she says. She orders him to take off his shoes and socks so he can “touch grass”. Billy balks, but gives in. She goes on about the earth being real and directs him to take a deep breath, close his eyes, and listen to the wind. Sally then tells him to push his thoughts of Dumas, Adam, and Victor together like a pile of leaves and let the wind take them away. He opens his eyes and kisses her.

Sharon’s Suspicions

At the overlook, Nick holds Phyllis and tells her, “I got you.” She doesn’t always have to be so strong. He knows she’s afraid if she lets one tear out it will never stop. He urges her to let it out. Phyllis says, “Stop it.” Nick won’t do that. “You’ve got to let it out.” He assures her she will be OK. “I’m not going anywhere.” She tears up and gasps, “Stop it.” He’s the only person she knows that she would let talk to her like this. “What would I do without you?”

The joke about how boring it would be if they didn’t know each other. Nick tells her again that she’ll be “good”. Phyllis knows he’ll always be there for her. Nick warns she has to stop stuffing down whatever this is inside her. She has to come to terms with it. They could try coffee and carbs, or brainstorming her new venture. They could take Harrison to a movie. “Maybe me being around is the thing. I could give you space if that’s what you want.” Phyllis likes him being there. Nick nods, “Well then that’s where I’m going to be.” As she smiles and touches his face, Sharon appears.

Sharon asks, “Did we all have the same idea? A morning walk?” Nick says they’re just getting fresh air and a look at the view. Sharon notes it’s the perfect spot for a private moment… she just walked in on. Their conversation looked intense. Nick tells her it was relief… Summer’s gone overseas. Sharon thinks Phyllis should take Daniel and Lucy there too. Nick squints as Sharon pushes for Phyllis to get out of town. She tells her how good traveling with Nick was for her. “You need to do this for yourself. Go.” Phyllis says she’s convinced her… she’ll go to Milan. Maybe Nick could come. They all laugh awkwardly.

More awkward conversation ensues as Phyllis says she was joking. Nick gets a text and Sharon invites him to swing by her place tonight with Christian for lasagna. Nick will get back to her. Phyllis thanks Nick for today. It really helped her. He says, “My pleasure.” He asks if they’ll be cool if he takes off. They assure him it will be fine, so he goes. Once alone, Sharon asks Phyllis, “What exactly were you thanking Nick for?”

One Step Closer to Dumas

At Society, Devon walks in right after Lily. They’re surprised to see each other. Lily says she has a meeting about Aristotle Dumas. Devon got a text too. Nate appears, “That makes all three of us.” Lily scoffs that this man is ridiculous. Devon wonders what he’s trying to pull and why. As they speculate, a woman walks through the door. It’s Amanda Sinclair. Lily asks what she’s doing back in town. Amanda couldn’t stay away. “How are you guys?” Nate says they’re good; just getting ready for a meeting if the person shows up. Amanda says, “They already have.” Devon balks, “You’re not about to tell us you’re Aristotle Dumas, are you?”

Amanda chuckles and remarks, “My goodness, the tone in your voices.” Is it that far-fetched that she’d become a brilliant tycoon and corporate raider? “A, Amanda, A, Aristotle. Isn’t it obvious?” Devon argues that the timing doesn’t play out. He was hearing about this Dumas person before she left town. She reminds him she was out of town quite a bit. Devon says she was caring for her mom, not launching a new business. He’d have known. Amanda snarks, “Because we knew each other so well.” Devon says she’s smart enough to be Dumas, he just doesn’t think she had the time. Amanda sarcastically thanks him for acknowledging her abilities. “And yes, you’re right about the timeline.” She isn’t Dumas, but she does represent him. “I’m here to answer all your questions.”

Amanda explains she’s Dumas’ attorney, and he is, in fact, a man. She tells them Dumas recruited her when she was out of work after Jill sold Chancellor and retired. He made her a very strong offer, and she accepted. Lily asks if she’s met him. She has. Devon wants her to tell them who he is. He’s using an alias, so will she tell them who he is and what he wants with their company?

Amanda will make this clear so there’s no room for confusion. “Aristotle has no interest in Winters.” He respects what they’ve accomplished. Dumas admired Neil very much. He thinks he would be proud. Lily asks why Dumas would say that. Devon asks if he knew Neil. Amanda can’t say. Dumas respects many people. Lily knows he’s secretly looked into their company. Amanda says he’s always wanting to learn and grow from other peoples’ success. Devon still wants to know who he is. Amanda says, “He is who he claims to be, and that’s all anyone needs to know.” Devon asks Amanda why he sent her there in person to tell them he’s not a threat. She says Dumas thought a friendly face would calm their nerves. Nate wants to know why they should trust any of this. He clearly has something to hide. Amanda can only share the information. Lily asks, “What is going on here?” She warns the lawyer not to dance around it. Amanda says her boss has only one focus on Genoa City… it’s one she thinks will please all of them, especially Lily.

Lily asks what she has to do with Dumas’ one interest. Amanda tells them Aristotle wants Chancellor Industries. His sense of fair play was offended by what Victor did to Billy. Amanda also tells Lily that she’s upset at what Billy did to her. Lily thanks her, but says Billy’s not an issue at the moment. Devon asks if Dumas is trying to take Chancellor from Victor. Amanda can’t speak to that. Nate says she used to be more direct and upfront. Amanda concludes that Dumas is not interested in Winters. They suspect this could be about getting their guards down so he can move in for the kill. Amanda reminds they used to be friends. She’s telling the truth but they can think what they want. Glancing at Devon’s wedding ring, Amanda says Dumas admires all of them for evolving and growing. Lily thinks this all sounds like a snow job. Amanda asks if they’ve always been this paranoid or if she’s just noticing it now. Devon crabs about her ambushing them and advises that they’ll keep their eyes open.

Sharon Questions Phyllis

At the overlook, Phyllis tells Sharon that asking her what she thanked Nick for is a weird question. “Don’t you think?” Sharon shrugs. She wants to know what she meant. Phyllis says he was just being Nick; cooperative and supportive. Being there for her. Sharon asks what she needed support and help on. Phyllis stammers it was mainly with Billy. They’re not working together anymore. Sharon is sorry she lost her job. Phyllis says they just parted ways, but she’s going to start something great with Daniel. Sharon tells her how great it is to have Mariah working with her at Cassidy First. Phyllis muses, “You are a literal angel, Sharon.” Sharon asks, “What will your new business be?” Phyllis says profitable and successful… they’re still working on it. Sharon is sure Daniel is grateful… this is a very healthy path to finally moving forward. She gushes that London with Nick was fabulous… she’s sure he filled her in on the highlights. Phyllis says he didn’t mention it.

Sharon tells Phyllis what a treat the trip was and how happy they all were to be together again. Phyllis gets a text from Amanda, asking her to meet at Society. She tells Sharon she loved hearing abut her trip, but she has to go. Sharon asks, “Who was it?” Phyllis just says, “See you later.”

Nick Confronts Billy

At Chancellor Park, Billy tells Sally she is good at calming him and would have been a perfect guest for his podcast. He’s not sure how long it will quiet the voices. She suggests they could try something else next time. He quips, “Couples massage?” He thanks her again and they kiss. Just then, Nick happens by. He can’t help but stop and ask Billy, “Did you really have to let Phyllis go before she had a chance to prove herself?”

Billy says he didn’t dump Phyllis, and he’s not having this conversation with Nick. He’s happy to have Sally working with him. Nick thinks he’d still have room for one more brilliant mind. “You know what she has dealt with.” He yanked an opportunity away, which is a crappy thing to do as her friend. He knows what it feels like when there’s a chance to prove yourself and it’s taken away. He won’t let Billy off the hook for giving Phyllis another reason to mourn.

Sally tells Billy to put his shoes on. Billy stands up and rants at Nick. Why doesn’t he care more about what Phyllis has been through. Nick tells him he cares about her more than he knows. Billy says why can’t he see that she’s not in a good headspace to take on a huge job. “I actually did her a favor.” Nick retorts, “Do you even know who Phyllis is?” She needs a goal, she needs to feel useful and creative. Billy says she’ll get that at the right place and time. Phyllis shows up in time to overhear Nick hollering at Billy that Phyllis has proven herself and he needs to show her the respect she deserves.

At Nate’s place, Devon asks his cousins if they think this is about him… he saw Amanda glance at his wedding ring. Does she want his company for payback? Nate thinks she’s more pragmatic than that. Devon asks, “What is it then?” She just came all this way to tell them her boss admires them? For Dumas to send Amanda, of all people, that’s a message. Talk turns to Damian, and Nate says he still doesn’t love the idea of him playing double agent, but he’ll let it play out. Devon isn’t sure they should proceed now. Amanda showing up threw him for a loop. The only thing that’s clear is that this man knows a helluva lot more about them than they do about him. Lily fumes, “Well, I have to meet this man. It’s time to drag him out of the shadows… and Amanda might be key to making that happen.”

At Society, Phyllis and Amanda excitedly greet each other. The redhead complains that she didn’t text her to say she was coming. “What are you doing here? Amanda says it’s partly because of her. She stuns Phyllis by asking, “Why the hell are you trying to contact Aristotle Dumas?”