At Dumas’ estate in the south of France, his guests continue to sip cocktails at the center of his maze, increasingly frustrated by all the waiting. Lily asks Damian if this is typical of his former employer. He admits Dumas has always been unpredictable. When Diane suggests they track down Carter for an update, her son jokes he must be recharging at the robot station.
Billy suggests they enjoy themselves and Phyllis cheers to the anticipation, sure that things will get wild when Dumas arrives. Jack thinks Victor and Nikki were right to skip this interlude. Nick imagines his dad will explode soon.
Nikki and Victor Are Called to Re-Join the Party
On their private train car, Victor and Nikki continue to fume about being forced to wait for Dumas. He assumes this was all planned. It’s a bid to wear them down. That may fool the others, but he loves this kind of game and cheers to it. Nikki worries that Dumas could be planning to cause hurt someone they care about. He’s sure Dumas is stuffing them all with food and booze so they won’t see what’s coming. But if Dumas wants to take him on, that guy doesn’t know what he’s in for. They’re discussing food when Carter arrives and informs them that Dumas has landed in Nice and will be there shortly. He offers to escort them to the meeting locale. “It’s about damn time!” Victor complains.
Outside of the maze, Amanda meets with Dumas. He assumes Victor is digging in his heels but it’s time for him to join the others or they may kill each other. He’s been waiting for this and won’t back down now. It’s what he wants. Amanda asks if he’s ready or needs more time. He doesn’t.
The Guests Continue Waiting
Billy and Sally watch as their fellow guests get more restless. She wonders if the bottomless drinks will add to the risk. At least there aren’t likely to be explosions like at a Newman party. He jokes they should dine and dash after dinner. Anything sounds good to Spectra as long as she doesn’t have to make small talk with Phyllis.
Phyllis swans over to the Abbotts and tells them about the vibe. They have heard she plans to set up some kind of a partnership with their host. She says it’s in the beginning stages and speculates about whether Dumas plans to make allies with half of them to wipe the other half out. Diane says it sounds like he’s looking for a henchwoman. “Good idea!” gushes Phyllis, slinking off.
Audra asks the Winters if any of them have a satellite phone. She doesn’t like being separated from Nate and Amy and hopes this is worth it. Lily spots Amanda arriving and tells Damian who she is. Audra comments that it must be awkward to be around an ex who knows all your weaknesses. Amanda thanks all the guests for coming and Jack asks when they can thank their eccentric host. Amanda explains that Dumas is excited to see them all very soon. Phyllis sidles up to her and comments on how great this is. She says the other guests lack her patience. This is the best party ever and she’s eager to pitch to Dumas’ face. Amanda assures her that he’s already there.
Lily is Taken to a Private Meeting with Dumas
Amanda approaches Lily and asks her to speak in private. Reluctantly, Lily leaves with her and Phyllis follows from a distance. Once Lily and Amanda have made it some way into the maze, Lily begins to worry. Amanda doesn’t want anyone eavesdropping but Lily won’t go any further until she knows why she has taken her away from the group. Sitting down, she refuses to take another step until she gets honest answers. The lawyer grudgingly explains that Dumas wants to speak to her privately before he sees the others. She won’t say why, which irks Lily; something is not right. Amanda promises all her questions will be answered if she goes on. As they continue through the maze, Phyllis tries to catch up with them.
Bringing Lily to a clearing, Amanda gestures to the man in the corner with his back to them. He thanks Amanda and she leaves them alone. Lily approaches, saying it’s nice to finally meet him. She’s aghast he stands and turns to her. “Hello, Lily,” he says. It’s her ex-husband, Cane Ashby. Flummoxed, she demands to know what he is doing there and why he’s calling himself Dumas. She thinks this is all a sick game. Cane explains that he’s not just pretending for tonight. This has been going on for a long time. Lily refuses to believe it. Cane says that he needed to keep his new path in life separate; there’s a lot more to it than a name and estate. They can discuss it after he meets the other guests.
Lily complains that this feels so wrong and deceitful, but Cane thinks she’ll understand once he walks her through it. He just wanted her to learn about him on her own rather than with the others. The name Dumas may be a lie, but he created him and he is him. Lily can’t understand how he’s been lying to her for years. Do the kids know? He says he wouldn’t have asked the kids to keep anything from her. She remembers he lied when he first came to Genoa City. How did he end up a billionaire in six years? He gives his word that he did nothing illegal and will explain all of it later. Right now, he needs to tell the others. Throwing up her hands, Lily runs into the maze.
Back in the maze, Phyllis bumps into Amanda, who stops her from going further. She forbids her from interrupting Lily and Dumas. Phyllis demands to know why Lily got in first. The lawyer explains it’s personal. Phyllis worries that she will get lost in the mix once “all the other vultures swoop in.” Her friend urges her not to push her or her boss. The redhead asks for the chance to see him from a distance. Amanda warns that if she did, she could lose the chance of getting anything from this trip.
The Guests Speculate On What Dumas Wants with Lily
Back at the center of the maze, Damian and Devon wonder why Lily was taken aside. Damian doubts he’s out to cause conflict but he could be working some other angle. Victor and Nikki arrive and explain that Carter has informed them Dumas will be there shortly. Nick says he’s out of there if Dumas doesn’t show his face by morning. Victor joins Devon and Damian. Devon explains that Abby is at home because their son is ill. Once Victor is introduced to Damian, he asks about his former boss. This is the first time Damian has heard of Dumas holding an event. They only hope he shows up. Devon explains that Amanda took Lily away for some mysterious reason. Victor mulls that over.
Kyle makes his way over to Audra and says Dumas must have a private satellite system they can hack into. They can’t have an online feud if they aren’t online. She says she’s only there to make viral noise for Vibrante. She’s already prepared her first post and all the hashtags. Kyle suggests they enjoy themselves so she asks him to fill her glass. As they drink, she shows him her latest selfies and wonders what their host looks like. He jokes that Dumas could be three dogs in a trench coat.
Jack and Diane watch their son with his ex. Diane admits that in her younger years, she would have already thrown a drink at that woman. She misses those years. Jack takes the drink from her hands and says the viral campaign isn’t a bad idea. Diane isn’t seeing any product sales and worries that their son and that woman could pull some stunt. It doesn’t help that Victor is backing Audra… and Kyle wouldn’t be the first to fall back on bad habits. “I want our son away from her,” she insists.
At their table, Billy and Sally discuss how Dumas wanted to help him go after Chancellor. She reminds him he agreed to drop that to focus on their company. Billy wants to be front row and center if Dumas ends up going toe-to-toe with Victor at this boondoggle.
Nikki approaches Nick at a table and says she’s sure Sharon must be grateful he brought her along. She notes Sharon has attracted a lot of drama this year. Her son asks her to quit while she’s ahead and notices Michael and Lauren seem to have turned down the invitation. That’s a relief to his mom. Michael leaving Victor of his own volition isn’t something Victor can easily forgive. They are sure Victor is on edge and one wrong move could drive him over. Nikki assumes Victor has some ace up his sleeve. When she joins her husband at a table, he explains that Dumas is meeting with Lily. Nikki finds that odd, but he sits back and explains this only confirms that he was right about what his suspicions surrounding Dumas’ real identity.
Nearby, Devon and Damian talk to Sharon and Nick. Damian is happy to meet the owner of Crimson Lights, his favorite coffee spot. They joke about how you are always destined to run into people you want to see and don’t want to see there. Sharon explains she and Nick ran it together while they were married but they haven’t been married “lately.” They are just traveling together as friends.
Phyllis and Amanda stride in and the redhead starts aggressively mixing a drink. “Buckle up buttercup!” she says, raising her glass to Billy. Devon approaches and asks where his sister is. Phyllis blurts out that she’s meeting with Dumas privately. He continues demanding answers from Amanda but she won’t tell him anything and walks away. Damian hurries over to him and Devon complains things are not okay. Meanwhile, Nikki starts quizzing Amanda about her employer. She assures them they will have answers soon.
In the maze, Lily runs out of breath as she gets lost. As she calls for help, Devon and Damian rush in. They find her catching her breath and she blurts out, “Cane is Dumas!” They declare that can’t be true, but she explains that Amanda took her to him. They have been in on this together.
Dumas Introduces Himself to His Guests
Back at the center, everyone notices the screaming has stopped and wonder if Lily is okay. Sally points out that Phyllis claimed Lily was meeting with Dumas. Nikki finds that unlikely but Amanda confirms it is true and there is nothing to fear. Jack has had enough for the night and so has Nick. Before anyone can leave, Cane drifts in and thanks them all for coming. Billy wonders why he’s there. “Everyone! This is Cane Ashby. He’s been using the name Aristotle Dumas for the last six years,” Victor explains before demanding to know what he wants from them.
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