Victor Christian Newman

Actor History

1980 to Present

Other Names

Lifeline

Occupation

Residence

Marital Status

Past Marriages

Relatives

Children

Pets

Flings and Affairs

Health and Vitals

Crimes Committed

Brief Character History

Victor was born Christian Miller, first son to a poor and struggling family in Buffalo, New York. After his father, Albert, abandoned the family, his mother Cora believed that the only way they could survive would be to leave one of her two sons in an orphanage. Christian grew up there from the age of seven, always expecting his mother to return for him as she promised, until he gave up and ran away when he was in his teens. A self-made and self-educated man, he changed his name to Victor Newman because he had created a "new man" of himself. Victor arrived in Genoa City with his wife Julia to run Chancellor Industries for Katherine Chancellor. Later he created his own conglomerate, Newman Enterprises, and was considered the most powerful and wealthy businessman in town, or maybe even the world.

Victor was very protective of Julia, his young, beautiful wife, and kept her secluded at the ranch with their houseman, Charlie. Victor was so consumed by his work, that he was rarely at home. Julia met and became friends with Brock Reynolds. Victor was jealous and had a one-night stand with his secretary, Eve Howard, in retaliation. Julia admitted that she was falling in love with Brock, but agreed to break if off if Victor would commit completely to their marriage. But Victor was unconvinced and turned to Lorie Brooks for attention. After Brock caught Victor and Lorie kissing, he tried to resume his romance with Julia, but he finally left town because Julia was unable to end her marriage to Victor. Thinking it would convince Victor of her love for him, Julia told him that she wanted to have a baby. Victor responded by having a vasectomy without telling her.

Julia was offered a job modeling for handsome photographer Michael Scott. For once, Victor didn't say no. Michael admired the dark-haired beauty, and they became close friends. While Victor was out of town, Eve Howard suddenly resurfaced, and let Julia know that she was there to get Victor back. Feeling vulnerable and confused by Eve's presence, Julia slept with Michael, but became overwhelmed with shame. Her friendship with Brock had remained strictly platonic. But now that she had slept with Michael, Julia had actually cheated on Victor for the first time. When Julia talked about her friend Michael, Victor became jealous and began following them and taping their conversations. Then Julia turned up pregnant. Convinced that the baby was Michael's, Victor kidnapped Michael and held him prisoner in the bomb shelter under his ranch house. Victor had outfitted it with cameras so he could observe Michael and to torture Michael by making him watch Victor and Julia making love in their bedroom above. Victor fed Michael sparingly, and taunted him often like when his dinner was a dead rat. Paul Williams was hired to feed Michael when Victor was out of town by telling him that Michael was a retarded relative who was not allowed out because he was violent and delusional. Eventually, Julia discovered that Michael was being held hostage, and she and Paul freed him. When Victor intervened, they struggled and Julia tumbled down a flight of stairs. Julia miscarried, but Victor discovered that despite his vasectomy, he had actually fathered Julia's baby. Soon afterward, Julia and Michael both left town separately.

Still in love with Victor, Eve made several plays to get him back. Eventually Victor agreed to accept her claim that her son, Charles Cole Howard, was his son so long as Eve left town to work for one of his other companies.

Victor Newman, the intimidating, often called "ruthless", successful business tycoon always won; every deal, every argument, every business acquisition. If Victor could not beat them by other methods, he bought them off. One of his many acquisitions included the takeover of Jabot Cosmetics by buying stock when the company stock went public, thereby creating a lifelong adversary in Jack Abbott. Throughout the years, Victor and Jack have vied for one-ups-man-ship both in business and women, but although Jack may have won temporarily, in the end, Victor always prevailed.

In sharp contrast, Victor's personal life included many marriages and divorces. But the love of his life would always be Nikki Reed, to whom he was introduced by his pal Douglas Austin when she was a stripper barely out of her teens at a strip club called "The Bayou". Victor fell for Nikki, took her home and transformed her into a classy young lady with lessons and lavish gifts. Nikki spent her days playing the piano, her evenings being entertained and taught by Victor, and her nights yearning for him. Though Victor proclaimed no romantic feelings for Nikki, he finally succumbed to her charm, and they spent one night together. Adamant that this was a mistake, Victor found a beau for Nikki in wealthy young Kevin Bancroft. Victor began seeing Lorie Brooks, who was writing an expose on him. Prior to their wedding, Lorie talked Victor into giving her a wedding gift of Prentiss Industries, the company Victor had bought away from her former husband, Lance. Victor did, so Lorie tore up her manuscript in return. Then she left him at the altar with a note and her ring. Lorie was the first person to ever pull a fast one on Victor Newman and get away with it.

Two years later, Eve ran into the now-divorced Julia Newman in Paris and Julia told her about Lorie Brooks abandoning Victor at the altar. Eve told Julia that she was involved with a wealthy Count, Max Siebalt. Eve went to Genoa City to be sure that Victor was going to continue to provide for her son Charles, and learned that Victor had put Charles in his will. Because Max was broke, Max and Eve began to scheme to get Victor's fortune. Eve convinced Victor to hire her again as his personal assistant. When Victor's manservant, Charlie, left his employ, Eve offered to cook Victor's meals for him. She began lacing them with a slow-acting poison that, in small doses, could not be traced. Victor began to lose weight and appeared ill, and after Victor's dog, Albert, ate some of his poisoned food and died, Victor became suspicious. Julia overheard part of their plan on the phone and warned Victor that he was in danger, but by then, he had already been poisoned. An antidote was found, and Victor survived.

Julia proved that Eve had been involved by having the poison analyzed. Victor realized that Eve had tried to poison him so that her son, Charles, could inherit half his wealth. With the help of Julia and his friend, Douglas Austin, Victor schemed to trap Eve into confessing, and even proposed to her, which Eve quickly accepted. The day of their wedding, Eve arrived at the Newman ranch to learn that Victor had died. Eve arranged to have Victor's coffin placed in the Newman living room, and took over as the grieving fiancée. Max, believing that Eve was losing her grip on reality, quickly married her because it appeared that Victor had left her his estate. When Julia confided to Eve that she thought Victor had been murdered, and that she intended to have his body exhumed for an autopsy, Eve sent Max to the graveyard to dig up the corpse. At the cemetery, Max was so shocked to see Victor appear from the shadows alive, that he fell against a pitchfork and died. Eve then tried to stab Victor, but was caught and committed to a sanitarium.

Meanwhile Nikki married Kevin, and shortly afterward discovered that she was pregnant with Victor's child. Nikki named her baby girl Victoria Nicole after Kevin's grandmother and herself. Nikki escaped the pressure of Kevin's mother Allison by resuming stripping at The Bayou, but Kevin found out and filed for divorce. Alison faked a pornographic film of Nikki called "Hot Hips" to get custody of Victoria, and Allison disappeared with the child. Rick Daros discovered Victoria's true paternity and informed Alison and Victor. Victor found and returned Victoria to Nikki. Then a mobster named Tony DiSalvo showed up with a copy of the porn tape. Nikki seduced and married Tony to get the tape back, but he was killed by Paul Williams and Andy Richards who were investigating him. Rick Daros was in love with Nikki, but once they began living together Victor had him investigated and discovered that he had murdered his wife Melissa. Rick talked Nikki into accompanying him on a trip to St. Croix where he held her against her will, but she was rescued once again by Victor, Paul, and Andy. Victor sustained a wound in the groin from a spear gun fired by Daros, which left Victor impotent.

A year after she had been institutionalized, Eve read in the paper that Victor was planning to marry Nikki Reed in a lavish ceremony. Since Eve's roommate in the institution was about to be released but wanted to stay there, Eve switched places with her and left for Genoa City. Outside Gina's Restaurant, Eve knocked out a caterer and changed clothes with her to get into the hotel where Victor and Nikki were being married. After the wedding, Eve went to Nikki's room and was about to stab her, but Nikki's sister, Casey, entered the room. So Eve climbed into Victor's huge trunk which was about to be placed on the plane for his honeymoon. But at the last moment, the newlyweds changed their minds and decided to stay home. Victor learned that Eve had escaped the sanitarium, he found her, and she was returned to the sanitarium.

Not long after the wedding, as a gift for Victor who was still haunted by his past, Nikki had Paul do some research and arranged a reunion between Victor and his mother Cora and his brother Matt, but records showed that Victor's father Albert had died. Once Victor learned the circumstances of his abandonment, he forgave his mother, who died from a terminal illness shortly afterward, and Victor put Matt in charge of one of his companies in Brazil.

When Ashley Abbott discovered that her biological father was golf pro Brent Davis, she lost her memory and hitchhiked out of town with a truck driver. Calling herself Annie while waitressing at a truck stop, Ashley was recognized, and John Abbott was called, and a ransom was demanded for her whereabouts. John contacted Victor who tracked Ashley down and brought her to the Newman ranch to recuperate from the trauma. Ashley moved from the ranch when she realized that she and Victor were being drawn to each other. But Nikki had already discovered it and retaliated by having an affair with Jack Abbott. Then deciding to fight for Victor instead, Nikki tried to pair Ashley with Victor's brother Matt. But it was too late. Nikki and Victor had separated, and Ashley and Victor were in love. When Victor learned that Nikki had an incurable disease, he returned to Nikki to attempt to make her remaining days happy. Ashley discovered that she was pregnant, then found out about Victor's reconciliation with Nikki. Although Matt volunteered to marry her, Ashley decided the only solution was an abortion. Meanwhile Victor found out Nikki was in remission, yet was still faking her disease, so he filed for divorce, intending to return to Ashley. When Victor found out about the abortion, he berated Ashley and caused another nervous breakdown. Ashley lost her memory again and wound up in a New York City mental institution.

Victor's nemesis, Jack Abbott, arranged for Leanna Randolph to write a sensational tell-all biography "Ruthless: The Victor Newman Story." under the pseudonym of Nora Randall. Ironically, Victor also hired Leanna to write an authorized biography of his life. Without Jack's knowledge, Leanna added an extra chapter to "Ruthless" that exposed Ashley and Victor's affair, including Ashley's abortion. Nikki, who was again pregnant with Victor's baby, hoped that they would eventually resume their marriage. But when "Ruthless" hit the bookstores, Victor assumed that Nikki was responsible and quickly divorced her. In a surprise move, Victor married Leanna Randolph. Because Leanna felt guilty about the exposé novel, and had come to care for Victor, she wrote another book called "Victor Newman - Man and Myth" under her real name. Meanwhile, Victor devised an ingenious way to punish Jack for his role in the publication of Leanna's tawdry book. Victor orchestrated a takeover of Jabot, displaced Jack, and made Brad Carlton his superior.

Nikki had Victor's baby, a son, they named Nicholas Christian Newman, after Nikki's father Nick, and Victor's given name of Christian.

Two years later, knowing that Victor was about to propose to Nikki, Jack got revenge when he married Nikki himself. Victor offered to return Jabot to the Abbotts if Jack would divorce her. Although Jack had fallen in love with Nikki, he reluctantly agreed to the offer out of loyalty to his father, John. But a crafty Victor took advantage of a carefully worded loophole in the contract that voided the deal. Time went by, and Nikki became pregnant with Jack's baby, but she fell from a horse, miscarried, and injured her back. Nikki became addicted to pain killers which she took with alcohol chasers. While Victor was embroiled in saving Nikki from herself, Jack and Brad schemed to take over Newman Enterprises. Victor bugged Jack's office, discovered the plot, and he collapsed during a fierce confrontation with Jack. Jack smirked and walked out leaving Victor dying on the floor of his office. But Jack's conscience prevailed, he called 9-1-1, and Victor was rescued. After discovering Nikki proclaiming her undying love for Victor at his bedside, Jack moved out of the ranch. Not long afterward, Victor and Ashley divorced when she got fed up with his preoccupation with Nikki. Before Nikki and Victor could reunite, Nikki discovered she was pregnant again with Jack's baby. Nikki and Jack reconciled, but months later while Victor and Nikki were engaged in a heated confrontation, Nikki accidentally fell down the steps and miscarried. Jack was grief-stricken. Realizing that Nikki was still confused about who she loved, Jack moved out again.

Eve Howard showed up in 1993, looking glamorous as ever. Her past crimes somehow forgotten, Victor simply seemed to fondly recall her working for him years before. When Eve brought up her son, who went by his middle name, Cole, she still claimed he was Victor's, but Victor wanted nothing to do with him. Eve left in a huff, slipping Cole's picture into Victor's book. Some time afterward, a lonely Victor contacted Eve and asked her to bring Cole to Genoa City.

When Jack discovered that an argument between Nikki and Victor had led to Nikki's fall and miscarriage, he held Victor responsible, and left Nikki again for keeping it from him. It was clear Nikki would never love anyone the way she loved Victor. After Victor was blasted by Nikki, Ashley, and teenaged Victoria, all resenting the control he tried to exert in their lives, he left town. During Victor's trip, he was robbed of his wallet, jewelry, and car. After his car was found with a body inside burned beyond recognition, word reached Genoa City that Victor was dead. But Victor turned up at the Kansas farm of the blind Hope Adams just in time to rescue her from a rapist. Hope was strong and independent, but she needed help and protection living alone on her farm.

Eve arrived in Genoa City with her son, Cole, a young aspiring novelist, only to find out that Victor was dead. His grieving widow, Nikki, hired Cole as a stable-hand at the Newman ranch, and Cole took up residence in the tack house. It wasn't long before Nikki accepted consolation from young Cole. To show her appreciation, Nikki introduced Cole to Traci Abbott's New York publisher, Steve Connelly, who agreed to publish Cole's first novel. Victoria told Cole she was interested in him. Instead, Cole pursued an affair with Nikki. When Victoria learned of his involvement with her mother, she told Cole that she was in love with him. Soon afterward, Cole wrote to his mother, Eve, saying he had fallen for Victor Newman's daughter. Eve, read the letter while on a cruise and was horrified by the thought of her son getting involved with his half-sister. She arranged to leave the ship and flew to Genoa City. While on the plane, she became ill from being bitten by a mosquito. On arrival in Genoa City, Eve was rushed to the hospital, and Cole was notified. Eve lingered for weeks, in and out of a coma, and while somewhat lucid, she tried and failed to tell Cole that Victor was his father. Not long after Eve's funeral, Cole and Victoria eloped to Las Vegas.

Back in Genoa City a power struggle for control of Newman Enterprises quickly erupted between Jack, Brad, and Ashley, while Nikki and Victoria were grieving over Victor's death. Jack gained control of Newman Enterprises, reclaimed CEO of Jabot, and made Brad head of Newman. When Victor heard the news, he returned to Genoa City, where he learned from his pal, Douglas, that everyone thought he was dead. After overhearing a conversation between Nikki and his children, Victor mistakenly believed that no one missed him, asked Douglas not to reveal the truth, and returned to Kansas. Victor's life on the farm turned him into a kind and gentle man who was content to live there as a farm hand, growing closer to Hope. But Victor's presence created a dilemma for Hope. She was attracted to him, but she accepted a marriage proposal from her longtime friend, Cliff. While wedding plans were underway, Victor arranged to return home for good. When Hope learned of Victor's plans, she told Cliff that she couldn't marry him. Soon afterward, Hope accompanied Victor on his return to Genoa City.

Everyone was stunned that Victor was still alive. Victor fired Jack for taking control of his company. Upset by Jack's dismissal, John and Ashley resigned from Jabot which was still owned by Victor, and made plans to create a rival cosmetics company. But thanks to Victor's interference, their loan application was denied. The stress caused John to suffer a heart attack. Out of love for his family, Jack made a deal with Victor that he'd stay away from Jabot, and Victor would rehire Ashley and John.

When newlyweds Cole and Victoria returned from Las Vegas, Victor revealed that Cole was his son, which forced an annulment. But while going through Eve's belongings, Victor discovered a letter to her from another man, which cast doubt on Victor being Cole's father. Victor immediately arranged to have blood tests run on Cole, himself, and Eve's corpse. When Nikki tried to resume her romance with Cole, a devastated Victoria left town before she had learned that Cole wasn't interested in her mom. Receiving confirmation that he wasn't Cole's father, Victor and Cole tracked down Victoria. Cole shared the good news with her, and they returned to Genoa City where they were remarried.

Victor proposed to Hope, and Nikki was so distraught by the news that she crashed their wedding and made a spectacle of herself. Nikki considered reconciling with Jack, but Jack surprised her by announcing that he was ready to file for divorce. Meanwhile, Hope learned that she was pregnant. Victor and Hope were forced to do some serious soul-searching when her doctor told them that the baby could inherit her blindness. When medical tests revealed that there was a good chance the baby would be born blind, so Victor urged Hope to have an abortion. But Hope resisted, and the tension in their marriage escalated. Frustrated by Victor's remote behavior, Hope returned to her farm in Kansas after she received word that Cliff had been injured in a farming accident. While Cliff recuperated, Hope extended her stay. Victor's friend, Douglas, arrived at the farm and pressured Hope to return to Victor. During their argument, Hope accidentally tripped over a chair and had to be rushed to the hospital. Victor arrived in Kansas to be sure that Hope was all right, then returned home. The next day, Hope gave birth to Victor Adam Newman Jr. To Victor Sr.'s disappointment, Hope decided to stay in Kansas and raise their son on her farm, and Victor and Hope were later divorced.

Nikki, tired of waiting for Victor to resume their romance, accepted Brad Carlton's marriage proposal. Victor was shocked when he learned that Brad was the mystery man in Nikki's life. To retaliate, he bypassed Brad for a promotion at Newman Enterprises and awarded the new position to Neil Winters. One day Victor received a FAX meant for Jack from his son Keemo, urging Jack to be leery of Jack's new girlfriend Mari Jo Mason. Victor confronted Mari Jo about it. On Brad and Nikki's wedding day, Victor was shot by an unseen assailant. When Nikki learned of the shooting, she fled from her wedding to be at Victor's side at the hospital. As Victor recovered from his gunshot wound, the police zeroed in on several suspects, including Brad and Jill. Brad urged Nikki to marry him and leave immediately on their honeymoon, but Nikki wanted to keep herself available for Victor. Brad broke off his relationship with Nikki and left town.

When the police discovered that the gun used to shoot Victor belonged to Jill, she was arrested. Further investigation cleared Jill, and she was released. Victor's near-death experience prompted him to reevaluate his life. He left Genoa City for several weeks and visited Hope on her farm in Kansas, where she was now married to Cliff. Victor enjoyed spending time with his son Victor Jr., a straight-A student who loved sports, but Cliff made it clear that the boy thought Cliff was his father. Victor returned to Genoa City and began spending time with Nikki, who assumed that they were finally about to reconcile. When Victor received word that Cliff had been struck by a drunk driver, he quickly returned to Kansas to lend Hope support. Hope was grief-stricken when Cliff died. Nikki misunderstood Victor's reasons for leaving her, and resolved to break off with him. She became involved with her gynecologist, Josh Landers, who said that he was a widower. When Josh proposed marriage, Nikki impulsively accepted and they eloped to Las Vegas. Victor tried to stop the marriage, but arrived too late, and decided not to tell Nikki that he was still in love with her. When Mari Jo realized that Christine now had the FAX that could destroy her relationship with Jack, she kidnapped Christine and held her prisoner in an isolated storage area of Newman Enterprises. While Chris was struggling to escape from the gun-wielding Mari Jo, Victor and Paul came to her rescue. Mari Jo was arrested for kidnapping and the attempted murder of Victor, and she was committed to a mental institution.

Ten years after she left Genoa City, Diane Jenkins returned a well-respected architect, admitting that her marriage to Andy Richards had ended in divorce. Jack Abbott, who had also gone through several changes in his own personal life including two marriages, was excited to see his former lover, Diane, again. But Diane's memories made her mistrust Jack. To see Diane on a regular basis, Jack hired her to design a lake home for him. Thanks to Jack's continual persuasion and romantic overtures, Diane admitted to Jack that she still had strong feelings for him. They rekindled their romance and eventually became engaged. Then Victor decided to begin romancing Diane, originally to get back at Jack, but he ended up falling for her. Victor offered Diane a top secret assignment to design Newman Towers, and mesmerized her with lavish gifts. Victor stole Diane away on business, proposed on the jet, they married in Nevada, and honeymooned in the Greek Islands. Not long afterward, Nikki was shot. Victor arranged a quickie divorce from Diane to remarry Nikki on her deathbed, so she could die happy. But Nikki lived. Due to his divorce from Diane being declared illegal, the marriage to Nikki was voided. A legal wedding was planned, but when Nikki requested they have another baby, Victor rebuffed the idea, so she had an affair with Brad Carlton.

Victor disappeared for months, then returned with a tale of being kidnapped and held in the Arizona desert, had been rescued by, then had an affair with a woman named Romana Caserez. When he discovered Nikki had slept with Brad while he was gone, he broke it off with her. Victor moved back to the ranch during a family crisis when their granddaughter Cassie was thought to have an active tuberculosis infection, and he and Nikki began sleeping together again. But all of that collapsed once Victor discovered Nikki was the one who bailed out his arch enemies at Jabot with thirty-five million dollars.

During his marriage to Diane, Victor had a vasectomy behind her back, but made a deposit at a sperm bank as part of the procedure. After their divorce Diane found out about the deposit, and decided to steal it to become pregnant with the baby Victor of which he had deprived her. Diane was artificially inseminated supposedly by Victor's stolen sperm. After the baby's birth, Victor insisted on DNA tests which showed that Diane's baby Christian Victor Newman was not his child after all. Soon afterward, Diane left town with her baby. It was later disclosed that Nikki, with the help of Jack, had employed a detective to get into Robertson Labs and switch the sperm sample with a random sample. Nikki's attempt to help Victor, resulted in Jack being the father when the man happened to grab Jack's deposit to replace Victor's.

Nikki and Victor were able to return to a friendly and romantic relationship. Victor bought an engagement ring, but was hesitant to take the big step again. But after a quest that took him all over the country visiting all of his old flames, as he tried to figure out what he kept doing wrong, he finally popped the question to Nikki once again. They were re-married in September 2002 with a lavish ceremony and reception at The Colonnade Room, the sight of their first wedding. As always, a crisis hit the Newman Ranch with the split of Nick and Sharon after she had a one-night stand with stable hand Diego. Nikki continually berated Sharon for her foolishness and sided with Nick, Victor comforted Sharon and begged Nick to buck up and put it behind him, and Victoria left home with Diego, furious with her father for trying to buy Diego off.

After much soul-searching Nick decided to give his marriage another chance. Bringing flowers and a present for Sharon, he paused at the window of their home to see Sharon kissing his father Victor. Nick was furious and called off the reconciliation. When confronted, Victor took the blame since he was on pain pills, although mixed-up-Sharon was once again coming on to any man who was nice to her. Sharon decided her life was a mess and left town. Her daughter Cassie felt betrayed and angry with her parents after Nick brushed her off, being more interested in berating Victor than comforting his daughter. She wandered off and fell through the ice on the ranch pond. A long while later, Nick finally realized she was missing, jumped into the pond, and rescued Cassie. She was Care-flighted to the hospital and was in a coma for days. Meanwhile in the waiting room, Victor confessed to Nikki that he had been caught by Nick kissing Sharon. Nikki slapped Victor and screamed, "How COULD you?" Cassie eventually recovered. Sharon returned home with a new resolve to not be trod on by any Newman again, and Nick eventually made up with Sharon.

Several months later, the Cosmetic Wars began between Newman Enterprises and Jabot Cosmetics. Tensions rose as nearly everyone's mate was the enemy. Victor headed up Newman, and his wife, Nikki, worked for Jabot. Jack was Jabot, and his wife, Phyllis, worked for Newman. Neil worked for Newman, and his fiancé, Drucilla, worked for Jabot. Victoria and Nick were in the middle with their parents on opposite sides. Victoria was resentful that Victor passed her over and mentored Nick to take over Newman one day, while Nick was unable to forgive Victor for being too close to his wife, Sharon. Newman Enterprises outbid Jabot to buy out Satine Cosmetics for Women of Color due to inside information that Drucilla let slip to Neil. To compete, Jabot decided to resurrect a similar shelved project of Ashley's called Tuvia. Drucilla got her payback when she found out that Newman was trying to woo Satine creator, Damon Porter, as the chemist for the newly named Safra line. Drucilla stole him away to work for Jabot during Ashley's maternity leave. Jabot was still hurting financially, but saw Tuvia as their savior. Jabot was depending on their reputation and fine product to put them back in the black, but Victor could not let Jabot win the war, so he blackmailed Michael Baldwin into paying off large retailers to give Newman the prime shelf space normally held by Jabot.

With both product's rollout only a day away, Victor felt the need to find the very pregnant Ashley where she was nesting at a resort just days away from delivery. He came there to tell her not to worry, which only made her worry. The next day, Newman's Safra was selling like hotcakes and finished a close second to Jabot's Tuvia. The Abbotts were shocked; the Newmans jubilant. Nick smelled a rat. Ashley, convinced Victor pulled a fast one, decided to drive to Genoa City to convince him to stop whatever he was doing to Jabot. Ashley's sport-utility vehicle was broad-sided just outside Genoa City, and Jack and Brad were on the scene as she was cut out of the vehicle and rushed to the hospital battered and bruised. As Brad held the hand of the unconscious Ashley, the fetal heart monitor stopped. Ashley was rushed into surgery, but baby Robert, named after John's father, died. Nearly everyone blamed Victor Newman. John went out to the ranch and punched Victor in the face. Ashley blamed herself, especially after Olivia delivered the news that she couldn't have more children. When Victor came to see Ashley, she told him to go away. Brad went gunning for Victor to even the score. Later Ashley had another breakdown and happily showed people her newborn son which was nothing but a baby blanket, and refused to allow Brad to hold a memorial service. Ashley got the help and medication she needed and returned home.

Ashley spent a few months nearly catatonic until they realized she snapped out of it whenever Victor's name was mentioned. They got Victor to speak to her, and she eventually came out of it. Convinced it was caused by her untold secret, Ashley decided to tell Victor that her daughter Abby was his child by stolen sperm sample. Nikki begged her to let her tell Victor, but Abby beat everyone to it by telling Victor "Momma says you are my daddy." Victor confronted Brad, Brad told him it was true, and Victor was livid with all those involved. Victor wanted unsupervised visitation with Abby. Ashley wanted to allow it, but Brad was against it.

Nick found out about Victor's dirty tricks, and turned him in to the Feds. Just afterward, Victor's brother Matt came to Victor with news that their father was still alive. After he'd abandoned his family when they were children, Albert had struck it rich and faked his death. But now Albert was really dying in a hospital in Toronto, and Matt thought that Victor should know. Victor was coerced into going, and insisted that Nick accompany him. Albert turned out to be a nasty old man who still wanted nothing to do with his son. Victor let Albert know how he had devastated Victor and haunted him his entire life, but that he'd become a success in spite of Albert, then left in tears.

Michael Baldwin and Victoria were falling for each other when Victor's illegal activities came out. Victoria was so disappointed with her father that she left town. Victor felt Nick had betrayed him and disowned him. Nikki confronted Victor saying that his tricks had lost her her $35 million investment in Jabot, but Victor claimed he did nothing wrong and that was how business was done. Unlike the rest of the Abbotts, Ashley let Victor know she was ashamed of him, but held no grudge. Victor was arrested and jailed the day before Christmas, but he refused bail. When Ashley found out, she visited him and convinced him to quit moping, accept bail, and go home to his family for Christmas. Although Michael offered to take the rap, Victor insisted he make a deal with the district attorney's office to hopefully save Michael's legal career. Nikki gave an impassioned speech at Victor's commercial bribery trial, and Phyllis dealt the final blow to her marriage to Jack by also testifying on Victor's behalf. Phyllis asked Nick for her job back, but he turned her down. Victor was found guilty and in a last ditch attempt to keep from going to prison, offered Jack $75 million to settle. Jack laughed in his face as it was nowhere near what they lost. Victor was sentenced to do a lot of community service. After sentencing, John and Ashley raked Jack over the coals for not consulting them about the settlement offer. They attempted to accept the settlement, but Victor pronounced the offer was down to $20 million, so they declined. Further prodded by Nikki for a reasonable settlement, Victor made his final offer -- the original $75 million with the stipulation that Jack could never work for Jabot again. Reluctantly John and Ashley were about to accept, when Jack offered to resign if it would save Jabot. He did, Jabot got the $75 million, and Jack reverted to his happy-go-lucky, unemployed, playboy self.

Victor was told by the judge to come up with something spectacular for his Community Service project. He found a derelict former paint factory in a seedy part of town, and financed and supervised its renovation into the Market Street Recreation Center with the help of neighborhood volunteers and young adult children of the Genoa City wealthy.

Ashley, living in a dream world, suddenly announced to Brad that their marriage was over because she wanted to be with her true love, Victor. When Victor heard what she did, he confronted Ashley and made her realize that he was happily married to Nikki with no romantic interest in Ashley. Ashley and Brad separated, Ashley moved home to the Abbott Mansion, leaving Abby in the house with Brad. Victor enjoyed regular visitation with Abby until she fell from a horse on the ranch, and became afraid of him. Victor then shocked everyone with a sudden decision to finally turn Newman Enterprises over to his son Nick and the Rec Center to the neighborhood, then left town for another of his quests, leaving Nick in charge. A few weeks later, Victor returned to find that Nick had let the power go to his head. Nick had cancelled Neil's pet projects and refused Neil's advice, which caused Neil to quit. Afraid his sister Victoria would return and demand her former position, Nick hired Drucilla Winters as head of the cosmetics division, and rehired Neil to mentor her. Not long afterward, Victoria returned from Italy. Nick also hired his wife Sharon away from Jabot to be the spokesperson for the Newman cosmetic line.

After Sharon's fourteen-year-old daughter, Cassie, was killed in a tragic accident, Nick took a leave of absence, and Victor was in charge at Newman once again. Jack offered Victoria the position of Jill's right hand at Jabot, and Victor offered her the task of taking over the CEO position at Newman. Victoria accepted the position at Newman, which Nick took surprisingly well when he returned from tracking down Daniel Romalotti, the young man he held responsible for his daughter's death. Nick was too caught up in rage and vengeance against Daniel to worry about Newman. He insisted on firing Phyllis, but after telling Nick off, she retorted, "You can't fire me. I quit." One of Victoria's first acts as CEO was to hire Brad Carlton. Despite their animosity, Victor approved. While Nick was still angry over his daughter Cassie's death, Brad made plans with Sharon for her return to Newman to work with him on the Beauty of Nature project, and she was later named Spokesperson for the line. When Nick decided to return to Newman, Victor made Nick and Victoria Co-CEO's.

Phyllis came up with an idea to create wellness spas under the Jabot umbrella. She asked Nikki to join her with her anti-aging product, and took it to Jack who promptly shot it down as not feasible considering Jabot's instability. Phyllis and Jack had it out, and she quit her new job as Jabot Executive of Internet Affairs. So Nikki and Phyllis presented the idea to Victor instead, and he agreed to fund the project, joined the partnership, gave them an office in Newman Towers, and they called it NVP Retreats after Nikki, Victor and Phyllis. So Jack filed a lawsuit against them, which was the final split in his on-again/off-again relationship with Phyllis. Sharon signed on as NVP Spokesperson. Not long afterward Victor became afflicted with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and was duped by Jack into selling him NVP, with a stipulation that Victor would have final say on all decisions, and Nikki was made CEO.

Victor's epilepsy was finally diagnosed, Nikki was informed, and he was given medication. But Victor liked the affects of the mini seizures that made him feel uncharacteristically mellow and caring, so he quit taking his medication. He shut off his cell phone and told the family he was going on a trip. Hope welcomed him at the farm, and informed him that his son Victor Jr. was at soccer camp. Victor stayed on awhile, helping Hope out around the farm and feeling free, happy, and content like he was when they first met there many years ago. One day Hope entered the house to find Victor on the floor having a seizure, but being blind she did not realize it. Victor came out of it in time to fool her that he had fallen, then he left to continue his spiritual journey. Some time later Nikki called Hope, looking for Victor, and Hope informed her that he had left there for a monastery in India. Victor eventually returned home and began having seizures that make him violent in short bursts caused by the medication he had received in India. Rather than experiment with more medications, Victor underwent gamma knife radio surgery which controlled his epilepsy.

Jack was legally unable to own Jabot, so he made an offer to buy Jabot through a company called House of Kim, and Katherine accepted the offer. To make matters worse, Jack financed it using a loan from Victor Newman. Ji Min Kim arrived in Genoa City as the figurehead owner of Jabot. Victor figured out that Jack was the real owner Jabot, and became bent on Jack's destruction once again. Ashley was so upset by the collusion that she accepted a position with House of Kim in Hong Kong, taking her daughter Abby with her. They later moved to Los Angeles and Ashley went to work for Forrester Creations.

Victor became determined to find the Grudgeon Reliquary. He and Brad posed as art connoisseurs searching for the reliquary. After some tense moments they managed to fool the sellers and purchase it. They brought it home to Brad's mother Rebecca who found an inscription which was in code. Thanks to Colleen Carlton confiding in her art history professor and lover, Adrian Korbel, he solved the puzzle which revealed a treasure worth billions that was concealed in the catacombs in the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile Jana Hawkes suddenly disappeared and so much of her blood was found in the park that she was feared dead. Surprisingly, Jana had been saving up her blood to set this all up. She kidnapped Colleen so that Jana and her father Milan could get to the Nazi treasure in the Czech Republic before Brad and Victor. Once she had the secret code from Colleen, Jana admitted that her great-grandfather, a jeweler, had been forced to etch the inscription into the reliquary, then afterward, he had been murdered by the Nazis because he knew too much. Jana's father turned up at the catacombs after Victor, Victoria, and Brad had discovered the treasure. Milan locked them up, but was killed by the authorities as he tried to escape with the treasure.

The controversial NVP spa project known as Clear Springs had everyone at Newman taking sides. Jack, Victor, Phyllis and Nick felt that a large development would revitalize a dying town, and Nikki, Brad, and Victoria were opposed because it would wipe out historic structures there. Nikki and Neil ran for the vacant Newman board seat to boost the votes for their side, and thanks to Phyllis's blackmail of Brad over his affair with Sharon, Victor's yes-man Neil won, so they appeared to have the upper hand on Clear Springs. But Brad got Phyllis arrested for extortion, she was found guilty, and later went to prison

As part of a plot to bring down Jack, Victor convinced Jack to run for the Wisconsin State Senate. Nikki was in on it, but in her anger at being passed over as a board member of Newman in favor of Neil, she decided to run against Jack. Victor was livid and reminded Nikki where she came from and where she would still be if not for him. Meanwhile Jack's campaign manager David Chow pulled a dirty trick by exposing Nikki's porn film 'Hot Hips' on the Internet to discredit her, so Jack fired him. Then Nikki hired Chow to pull the same sort of tricks on Jack.

In May, 2007, Victor and Sharon were scheduled to fly to Clear Springs, then Jack was going instead of Victor, but had to cancel. So Sharon and Nick ended up taking the trip instead. On the return flight the Newman jet went down in Lake Michigan with no survivors. Sharon surprised everyone when she walked in on the Newmans and Jack just after they'd gotten the news. She was just as shocked to hear that her taking another flight had saved her life, and that Nick was missing and presumed dead. (It was suggested later that the jet may have been sabotaged.) Noah and Nikki were devastated, but Nikki continued with her State Senatorial campaign with the help of her campaign manager, David Chow. While Victor was mourning Nick's death, Hope phoned to let him know that their son, Victor Jr., was missing and had been hanging out with a bad crowd. Victor left the family and traced Jr. to Columbia, where Jr. had disappeared without paying his rent. Victor then followed him to Sri Lanka and disappeared for quite some time. When Victor returned, he told those who asked that he had not found his son. He was as arrogant and controlling as ever, still intent on somehow bringing down Jack.

While Victor was away, David fell for Nikki, they got caught kissing by Phyllis and Sharon, and were exposed on videotape. Gloria got Kevin to monitor the security cameras at Jabot, and proved that Jack owned Jabot. So Jack quickly sold Jabot at a loss to Katherine Chancellor. In the end, Jack won the election and became State Senator, but later left in disgrace when his former step-mother Gloria exposed him for falsifying his father's will which cut her out. Nick turned up lost in the woods, found by Internist Logan Anderson and she brought him back to Genoa City and his family.

It wasn't until weeks later, and after he'd agreed to sell NVP to Nikki, that Victor discovered Jack had sold Jabot to Katherine, and he had lost his leverage over Jack. Livid with Jack, Kay, and Ji Min for outwitting him, Victor lit into Nikki for not warning him. He told Nikki that he only sold NVP to her so that she would have to sell her Jabot stock, then he could go after Jack, not to please her. Nikki had had enough of his pompous behavior, moved out, and they divorced again. Nikki asked David Chow to work for her running NVP, and they became lovers. Meanwhile Ji Min Kim turned up dead in his room at the Genoa City Athletic Club with Victor and Jack as prime suspects.

One day everyone in Genoa City seemed to be at Clear Springs when its underground parking structure and casino collapsed, trapping several of them inside. Sharon, Jack, and Nick were there to scout for a photo shoot. Nick was knocked out, and Jack was pinned by debris, but Nick awoke and freed them. Sharon's leg was sprained, but they managed to find an opening in the rubble. Jack levered it open allowing Nick and Sharon to escape, leaving him there still trapped. While Jack waited to be rescued, he wrote a note to Sharon confessing how much he loved her. Meanwhile Amber crawled out of her crushed car and made her way to an elevator, and found Kay bruised and dirty inside, having been left there while her grandson Cane and J.T. crawled up the shaft for help. Also trapped were Adrian Korbel with a very pregnant Victoria, and Lauren and Noah trapped with Paul. Nikki and others stood vigil on the outside, waiting while rescuers cleared rubble and tried to get to the victims. Phyllis, still in prison, heard about it on TV, got no answer on Nick's cell, and received the news when she called Victor. Sharon and Nick walked out of the rubble and asked rescuers to go back for Jack. The rescue workers said it was too dangerous, that methane was escaping and about to blow up, so Victor went in and rescued his worst enemy, Jack. Cane and J.T. made it out, but Cane fooled them into believing he'd had rescue training in Australia, and went back to rescue Kay and Amber. Sharon and Nick were relieved when Noah was carried out on a stretcher. Then the dead body of the construction foreman was removed, ironic because the reason Cane and Kay were there was to investigate the foreman for shoddy work and kickbacks. Finally Korbel and Victoria emerged, just as a methane blast occurred. Victoria was hit on the head with a rock, knocked out, and rolled down the pile of debris.

Still pregnant, Victoria spent months in a coma while her family and fiancé J.T. held vigil at her bedside. They finally had to decide if the baby should be delivered prematurely to save Victoria. J.T. and Victor chose to deliver, but Nikki insisted that Victoria would rather her baby live, so the decision was taken to court. They ended up waiting a couple more weeks until the baby had a better chance, then baby boy Reed was delivered. A DNA test was run and J.T. was pronounced the father. Reed thrived in the hospital, while Victoria was taken back to the ranch, still comatose. Nikki and Victor were separated, so Victor lived in the ranch house while Nikki took residence in Sharon's cottage with David Chow, forever there in Victor's face. Not long after J.T. brought Reed home, Victoria woke up from her coma. Victoria and J.T. were married, and they moved back to the loft apartment with Reed. Victor made his new son-in-law J.T. head of Newman Security, and Victoria went back to work. It wasn’t long before J.T. and Victoria decided to move to the ranch, and live in Sharon and Nick’s former house.

The investigation into the Clear Springs disaster disclosed that the cause had been Victor mining the methane underneath it. It didn't take long for Victor to alienate everyone around him, including Nikki. Victor called in her loans for NVP, fired and bankrupted her, which gave Victor full control of NVP. He also fired Nick as Co-CEO of Newman and replaced him with Neil. After losing his Senatorial seat, Jack and Nick got together and decided to start "Restless Style" an Internet and print magazine. They asked Phyllis to join them in the partnership, and Sharon requested to work with them later.

In early 2008, Hope contacted Victor that she was terminally ill with carcinoma of the pancreas, and he sent specialists to Kansas try to save her. But by February, Hope called Victor to come to her in Kansas. He arrived to find her recently released from the hospital, having asked to be sent home to die. It was her last wish that Victor be united with his son Vic, feeling that he finally needed to be told that Victor was his father. Vic arrived, now 27 years old, and was shocked to see his mother's condition, then further shocked and disbelieving when she gave him the news of his paternity. Victor began to get to know his son through Hope on her deathbed. She described Vic to Victor as independent like his father, yet sensitive and vulnerable. Vic told Victor how he had secured his own scholarships to attend Harvard Business School, but still had student loans to pay off. Then he had attended Harvard Grad School where he wrote his thesis on Victor Newman's rise in the business world, and that he had read the books on Victor's life. Vic said he was a stockbroker living in New York City, that his passion was business, and that he firmly believed in following one's passion. Vic and Victor were devastated when Hope passed away only days later. Her death wish had been for Victor and Vic to stay together. Before they parted in Kansas, Victor offered his son a job at Newman, but Vic turned him down.

Weeks later, Vic suddenly showed up in Victor's office, accepted a job, and asked to be called Adam so there would be less confusion and that the wrong message wasn't sent. His first assignment was to work with Victoria on the Beauty of Nature project. He was flaunting his Harvard education and superior work ethic in Victoria, Nick and Neil's faces, going over Victoria's head with decisions, and hitting on Nick's wife Phyllis, leaving everyone wondering about Adam's agenda.

With plans of a new start in New York City as a Consulting Private Curator, Sabrina Costelana stopped in Genoa City to check in on her best friend Victoria who had come out of a several month-long coma. Sabrina had just broken up with her lover, Phillipe, a talented artist she placed in an art show only to have him dump her afterward. Phillipe now claimed to want her back, calling often and admitting that he made a lot of mistakes. Victoria, newly married and with a new baby, persuaded Sabrina to live at Newman Ranch instead of with Victoria during her stay. Sabrina began spending a lot of time in the company of Victor, who was recently divorced from Nikki, and was living alone there. They began speaking French to each other and shared their love of art. About the time Sabrina tried to tell Victoria of her growing romantic interest in her father, Victoria told her how much she hoped her parents would reconcile for the umpteenth time.

Though her art preference was Modern where his was Classic, Sabrina convinced Victor to invest in modern art after a trip to Los Angeles where Victor wooed and won her. On returning to Genoa City, Victor decided to open the city's first art museum in the ground floor of a building that Nick owned; a building on which Victor just happened to own the mortgage. The building also headquartered the Restless Style magazine on an upper floor. Sabrina decided that she had to tell Victoria that she and Victor were having an affair. Victoria was aghast, called Sabrina an opportunist, and threw her out of her house. Sabrina made several attempts to reconcile with Victoria, but was continually rebuffed. Victoria eventually quit Newman due to the friction with her father and with Adam usurping her position, and she went to work for her mother at Jabot. After being together for only a month, Victor presented Sabrina with a lavish ring and popped the question, and Sabrina said yes. Nikki reacted to the news of Sabrina and Victor's engagement by eloping with David to Mexico. It wasn't long afterward that Sabrina announced that she was pregnant. Victor was thrilled. (Victor later confided to Kay that he'd had a vasectomy reversal which made the pregnancy possible.)

After many discarded ideas, Victor and Sabrina decided to get married in an old barn near the ranch, and Victor had it cleaned up and decorated beautifully for the occasion. Since Victoria and Nick were still on the outs with them, Victoria turned down Sabrina's offer to be her matron of honor, and Adam was asked to be best man without Victor even consulting Nick. Sabrina, unable to get any of her other friends abroad to attend, chose her new assistant Jana Hawkes as her maid of honor. Victor's daughter Abby and Nick's daughter Summer were adorable as flower girls. The day before the wedding, much to her displeasure, Sabrina's estranged mother, Zara, showed up. Victoria caught Zara taking photos of the wedding to sell to the media, and she managed to get the memory card out of the camera to foil Zara's plans. Later, Adam caught Zara taking a video tour of the ranch, with plans to sell the video. Adam stopped her and kindly ushered her into a limo and onto a plane with a one-way ticket back home.

During Victor's wedding, at the stables with her new horse Athena, Nikki received a devastating phone call from David telling her that he could no longer deceive her about his gambling addiction, and that he wanted a divorce. But the next day David appeared begging Nikki to give him another chance, and Nikki tried. On returning from their honeymoon, Victor ran into Nikki, but Victor left when Paul interrupted saying that he was meeting her. Meanwhile David, on a business trip to Hollywood, cut it short to gamble in Las Vegas, where he was spotted by Gloria losing big at a roulette table.

As Victor predicted, the first edition of his son Nick's Restless Style magazine/webzine did not do as well as expected, so the second had a hipper cover featuring hot singer Katy Perry. Then Adrian Korbel was hired to do an article on Sabrina and the Newman Gallery for the third issue, to which she and Victor approved. Though Adrian stumbled upon a rumor that Sabrina had wrangled an exhibition for her lover Phillipe when she was the art curator at the Pompidou Museum in Paris which could shed new light on the latest Mrs. Victor Newman, Adrian decided not to make a big deal about it. But Jack did some further research and turned Adrian’s article into a scandalous one that upset everyone, but the magazines sold into a fourth printing. Jack had sent Adrian off to Australia to do another article, so Adrian was furious when he returned. Assuming Nick was in on the scandalous article and angered at Victoria for turning against Sabrina over marrying her father, Victor cut them both out of his will as he added Adam and Sabrina. Adam and Victor were bonding so well as father and son that Adam took him up on his offer and moved into the main house at the ranch. He and Sabrina clashed at first but they became close due to their similar outcast circumstances.

The yearly Charity Gala, organized this year by Sabrina and Victoria under the watchful eye of Kay Chancellor, was in full swing with all the Genoa City regulars attending in cocktail party attire. After Adam left Heather on the patio for a moment, mobster Walter Palin tried to hit on her. Nikki and David were playing the happy couple one last time before Nikki would file for divorce. Victor told Sabrina he would send a limo for her, when he left with Michael to meet with Phillipe at the ranch to confirm or deny a story that had been published about him and Sabrina. While David was spiking Nikki’s drink with enough morphine to kill her, Phillipe was telling Victor the story as he told it to Jack Abbott, not to Korbel, for the article. Paul and J.T. figured out that David had mob ties and feared for Nikki’s safety, arriving just in time to take the drugged Nikki to the hospital. Meanwhile David searched for Nikki, gave up, and waited for his limo at the front door. Sabrina was there waiting for her own but was not feeling well and begged David to share his limo and be dropped off at Newman ranch on his way home. David relented and noticed that the driver was not the one who dropped them off, and had called them Mr. and Mrs. Newman. Eight miles down the road, a car ran the limo off the road and it crashed. The driver was killed instantly, and both David and Sabrina were seriously injured. Victor was notified by Michael that David and Nikki’s limo had been involved in a serious accident, so Victor went to the crash site. David was still being worked on by paramedics, who told Victor that Mrs. Newman had already been transported to the hospital. Thinking Nikki could be dying, Victor had flashbacks of their happy times together. Then he noticed Sabrina’s earring in the limo and it dawned on him which Mrs. Newman was in jeopardy. Victor climbed out of the wrecked limo and accosted David, demanding to know if Sabrina had been with him and why. But David was too far gone, and later David died.

Victor rushed to the hospital to find Sabrina near death. He refused to believe that she would die and demanded that Michael order specialists, dialysis machines, and organ donors to save her. The family was there to support Nikki who came out of the morphine overdose just fine. Once they heard about Sabrina, Nick and Victoria tried to see her, but Victor kept them at bay. Eventually Victoria discovered the lies that Jack Abbott had put into the article, and she wanted to see Sabrina to tell her that she had been wrong about her and ask for forgiveness. Although Victoria did get to see Sabrina, and they had a nice chat about old times enjoyed together, Victoria never got to tell Sabrina she was sorry before Sabrina died alone after asking Victor to get her some ice chips. After her death Victor was left alone with Sabrian to say goodbye. When Nikki showed up at the door Victor attacked her, accusing her of bringing David Chow into their lives and causing Sabrina’s death. He spat in her face that he wished it was Nikki in there dead, not Sabrina. Nikki was taken home by Nick and had a scary dream where David evilly told her what a fool he had made of her, and he showed her Sabrina and the child whose death she had caused.

Victor left guests waiting at Sabrina's funeral only to have the minister tell them that a private funeral had been held earlier and that her body was already interred. Victor had disappeared, leaving his cell phone, wallet and epilepsy medication buried on Sabrina's grave. The stockholders at Newman voted Victoria back in as Co-CEO in Victor’s absence and because the ranch was part of Newman Enterprises, Victoria took it upon herself to kick Adam out.

Paul traced Victor to Bucerias, Mexico, where he had been hanging out in a cantina awaiting the arrival of Walter Palin, a.k.a mobster Tony Amato, the man Victor held responsible for Sabrina's death. Paul and Nikki went there to find Victor, but Paul had to return when his daughter Heather had a medical emergency. Nikki went off the wagon in her grief after the authorities told her that Victor had been declared dead when his fishing boat broke up in a storm. Later a body washed up on shore, but Nikki did not let on that she recognized it as Walter.

A drunken Nikki called Katherine and told her that Victor was dead. Kay tried to keep her on the line while she called Nick on another phone. Adam reacted to the news by requesting the Mexican government FAX him a death certificate. Michael took charge and read the will which gave Newman Enterprises and the ranch to Adam. Nick was given the Restless Style building free and clear, and Victoria the Newman art collection. Abby and grandchildren Noah and Summer, and any future grandchildren, were given a percentage of the estate. Letters written to his children were later read by them in private. Victor wrote to Nick that Nick had been a disappointment, but that Victor was only hard on him to make him tough. Victor apologized for not being a good father, saying that he was proud of Nick, the best father Nick's kids could hope for. Victor wrote to Adam that he was most like himself and encouraged him to make him proud, but to be generous to his brother and sister. To Victoria, Victor wrote of his love and adoration, saying that she was the best parts of him and the very soul of Newman. Adam threw away his letter, had Heather moved in with him at the ranch. Adam declared himself Victor Newman Jr., and took charge of Newman by firing Neil and hiring Brad Carlton.

Nikki, still in Mexico, walked the beach pitifully wailing for Victor, and collapsed in the sand. When she looked up, there he was, alive and very upset with her for being there. He told her to go home, that he wanted the world to think he was dead. In response to her declaration that she still loved him, he replied that he wished one of them had the guts to kill the other to put them both out or their misery. Not long after Nikki returned to Genoa City, Victor returned, and Michael filled him in on what had happened in his absence. Victor summoned his children and Neil to the ranch. First he fired Adam and made Neil CEO of Newman, then told Adam to live elsewhere, and that his things would be sent to him. Neil later asked Victoria to return to Newman at her father’s suggestion. Nick and Victoria were thrilled to see their father alive, but although he forgave them for their treatment of Sabrina and thanked them for their actions when they thought he was dead, Victor was still cold to them and asked them to leave him in his seclusion to heal. Then Victor got his dog Zapato from the kennel where Adam had banished him, fired all the help, made a nation-wide statement to leave him alone, and hired security guards to keep everyone away. Even Nikki had to smash a window to try to talk to him. Adam tried to see him and was roughed up by the guards and taken off to jail. Jack had no luck even after he threatened to publish the photos of Sabrina unconscious and bloody at the accident scene. Victor did allow his old friend Katherine inside, he heard her out, then asked her to leave. After weeks of Victor being a recluse at the ranch, Nick heard music coming from Sabrina’s art gallery and found Victor there passed out due dehydration. The family was turned away at the hospital by a surly Victor, and they were about to have him committed for his own safety, but he managed to disappear, and was last seen flying away on the Newman jet. To revive confidence in Newman, Neil hired Nick back part time as an advisor.

Adam approached Cane for a job at Jabot, but was turned down. Even his contacts back in New York City suddenly wanted nothing to do with him. When all else failed, he hooked up with Jack to take on Victor, who Jack felt screwed him over again by helping Nick buy them out. Together they went to Bucerias, Mexico, looking for information on what really happened to Victor there, and returned knowing that the dead man from the boat, who was originally assumed to be Victor, was named Tony Amato.

Adam showed Heather the photo of the dead man in Mexico, and she recognized him as Walter Palin, a.k.a. Tony Amato, the man responsible for Sabrina and David's deaths. After Adam filled her in on what they had found out in Mexico, Heather contacted the Mexican authorities and agreed to work with them to find Victor. Adam and Jack found a publisher for a tell-all book about Victor from the point of view of his long-lost son, Adam, but the publisher wanted Victor's diary that they had told him about. The diary they'd found in Mexico actually contained only a few comments written by Victor, so Jack hired Frank Ellis, a known counterfeiter from Chicago, to complete it, in Jack's own dictated words, admitting to Palin's murder in graphic detail.

Adam realized Jack had set him up to do all the dirty work with Ellis, so they were going to use the dictation to keep Jack involved in the forgery. But Jack outsmarted them; he found the tape and erased it. The police found out that Sophisticate Magazine had published excerpts from the upcoming book, and their handwriting analysis on the diary confirmed Victor had written it. Adam admitted to Heather that he was the one who had found the diary and was publishing the book to have money to ask her to marry him. He asked, and Heather accepted.

Victor was hiding out in France at the chateau he bought for Sabrina, but in his raging anger and depression and with tears in his eyes, he burned it to the ground. Meanwhile, Nikki, Nick, Victoria, and J.T. were attempting to lead the authorities on a wild goose chase by appearing to meet Victor in Rio. During Nikki’s interrogation by Heather and the authorities, Victor made a call to Michael who was acting as her lawyer. Victor spoke to Heather, telling her that he was innocent in the death of Walter Palin, and to leave him and his family alone. Victor fired Michael as his lawyer, and told everyone this was the last they would ever hear from him. So Nikki called Ashley as the one person Victor might listen to. Meanwhile Nick received a call from a Priest in Paris who was concerned about Victor as he was hiding out at a monastery there. Ashley left her job in London for Paris, but by then Victor had disappeared again. After finding a prayer card for Saint Raymond in his room, Ashley ended up in front of the Saint's statue, and Victor walked up behind her. They had a tearful reunion that ended up between the sheets.

Ashley and Victor returned to Genoa City in time for Katherine Chancellor's funeral (who was not really dead, it was her doppelganger, Marge). They sat in the front row and shunned everyone, then afterward they quickly left in a waiting limo. Once Heather found out, Victor was arrested for the murder of Walter Palin and confronted with the diary he supposedly had written about the murder. Victor finally allowed Nikki to visit him in jail, only to accuse her of setting him up by being involved in the bogus diary of how he killed Palin. Nikki finally had enough and told Victor to go to hell. Nikki went to Paul's for solace, and they too ended up between the sheets.

Jack was questioned by the FBI about his involvement with the diary, but only admitted that he hooked Adam up with the publisher. The forger, Frank Ellis, was arrested for something else and cut a deal to turn on Jack and Adam. Once Heather started piecing together his story, and with Paul’s corroboration that he had seen Adam at the same dive hotel where Jack had a rented room, she confronted Adam with lying to her about his involvement. Adam tried to talk her into marrying him and fleeing the country together, but with a broken heart, she had him arrested instead. Once the truth came out about the forged diary, Victor was released from jail after giving a stern diatribe to Adam telling him he would not help him, to take his punishment like a man, and learn not to ever turn on his father again. Victor returned to the ranch to find that Ashley had moved in. Victor had a flashback of the storm on the ship which gave viewers the impression that he had identified himself to Walter, then abandoned him on the ship, and made it ashore on his own.

Jeffrey and Jill each wooed Gloria to sell her Jabot shares, and Jack also offered to drop the charges if she sold to him, but she sold them to Victor instead for money deposited in an offshore account. Ever plotting against Jack Abbott, Victor offered Jabot to Jill if she would seat Billy as CEO, then all the Abbotts, including Jack, could stay on-board. Jill accepted the offer. As part of his manipulating Ashley away from Jabot, Victor talked her into taking the deceased Brad Carlton's position on the Newman board, but Colleen showed up at the board meeting citing Newman by-laws that would allow her to assume her father's board seat. Victor called in J.T. to try to talk her out of it, but he failed. Victor suspected Jack was behind it, and he was, although Colleen wanted to do it to honor her father Brad as well.

Adam was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and it was an entire month before Victor was guilted by his memories of Hope into visiting him. He started out telling Adam how proud he was of him, then ended up yelling at him once again before he left. Afterward Adam began plotting a way to get out of prison. His first step was to finally allow Heather to see him and asked her get him a dermatologist for his skin problems. After Heather visited, she shared her concern with Victor that Adam was showing signs that he was losing his sight. Knowing that Adam could still inherit his mother’s retinitis pigmentosa, Victor arranged for a specialist to run tests on Adam.

Ashley threw a party for Victor's birthday at the Athletic Club. Nick and Phyllis, J.T. and Victoria attended and each gave him gifts. Ashley's gift was to tell Victor, that against all odds, she was pregnant with his child.

The next time Victor visited Adam, he found Adam beaten to a pulp by the inmates. Ashley begged Victor to get Adam out of prison, as going blind he would have no chance. Victor was unwilling to help because Adam still showed no remorse for framing him for murder. But once again, memories of Hope made him convince the D.A. to have Adam released into Victor’s custody under monitored house arrest. Victor confiscated the two million dollars that Adam was paid for the bogus diary, and still expected Adam to somehow repay the $100,000 of it that he had spent. Meanwhile Adam was not eating and was exercising, trying to lose enough weight to be able to remove his ankle monitor.

Victor realized that the woman who claimed to be the deceased Katherine Chancellor really was her, so he made a deal with Jill to agree to exhume the body in Kay's grave to prove who it was, in exchange for his Jabot stock. The test proved that Jill was not a match to the alive nor the deceased woman. After Brock's DNA proved that he was the son of the live woman, it ultimately meant that Jill was not Katherine's daughter after all.

First seen in Victor Newman’s office without exposing her face, Mary Jane Benson accepted his proposition to have plastic surgery to infiltrate Jabot Cosmetics as a part of Victor’s plot for revenge against Jack. Mary Jane appeared to know Jack years before and had reasons of her own to get close to him without being recognized. Mary Jane presented a good case for why Jack should hire her to restore his tarnished image, and she was hired. But once Jill regained control of Jabot, she fired the Abbotts and Mary Jane. With Mary Jane's help and the information supplied to her by Victor, Jack convinced Kay to rehire him as CEO of Jabot and Mary Jane as head of PR, also to restore Ashley and Billy to their Jabot positions. After Kay’s being alive invalidated Jill’s claim on Jabot and Victor turned her down to work at Newman, she teamed up with Gloria and Jeffrey Bardwell, since Gloria could not access all the money she was paid for her shares, in getting back at Victor for using them all.

Victor threw Adam a birthday party, but Adam angered Victor by inviting Heather. Victor gave Adam a Braille computer and Ashley gave him a Braille teacher, spurring Adam to consider writing a book about his life. Victor threatened Heather, telling her to go and never come back, then left to find Ashley, so Heather went up to Adam’s room. Heather told Adam that she still loved him and was trying to forgive him, remembering the good person she once knew. Then they made love. Ashley convinced Victor to allow Heather to see Adam, since what, and who else, did the poor young man have?

Ashley put on the gown and earrings she found on her bed to go out with Victor to celebrate her birthday, but it inexplicably turned out it to be identical to what Sabrina wore the night of the gala when she was in the car accident. It upset Victor. Victor accused Nikki, and Nikki accused Ashley of having mental problems while pregnant again and wants to be Sabrina for him. Ashley found a photo of Sabrina in that gown along with her credit card, and wondered about her sanity herself. Olivia was concerned about Ashley, who also heard a baby crying in the woods, but Ashley maintained that history was not repeating itself. Ashley took a leave of absence from Jabot and was put on bed rest.

Eighty year old Katherine married Patrick “Murph” Murphy in the Chancellor garden in a service officiated by her son Brock. Nikki was matron of honor, Victor was best man, and Nikki caught the bouquet. Later Victor and Nikki shared a dance, and he told her he was sorry he accused her of taunting Ashley.

Adam was further angered overhearing Victor talk Nick into returning to Newman as full-time COO. Victor said he wanted to leave Newman to his kids -- Victoria and Nick. Adam was causing his own blindness by injecting his eyes with Botox, and hoping his attorney, Rafe, could get him a "get out of jail free card." He lost enough weight to remove his ankle monitor, escaped out his window, and sought revenge on Victor by tormenting Ashley and making her think she was losing her mind again. He bugged the ranch, left a recorder in the woods to make Ashley hear a baby cry, and, by editing things Sabrina had recorded for an art website, created a phone call to Ashley from Sabrina, telling her she was going to die, too.

Adam's most elaborate trick was laying out a replica of the dress and earrings Sabrina was wearing in her fatal accident for Ashley to find and wear. When Ashley went downstairs, ready to go out, Victor was livid and at first blamed Nikki, but Adam set up Victor's house manager, Estella, and Victor fired her. Ashley was rushed to the hospital spotting and in pain. There, in her purse, she found a scrapbook of Sabrina that Adam had sneaked in and planted. Meanwhile J.T. and Victoria nearly caught Adam missing from his room.

Victor found a delivery receipt charged to Ashley's credit card, and asked Olivia to recommend a psychiatrist for Ashley. But after Ashley took a walk in the garden and had a vision of Sabrina telling her she was fine with Ashley being pregnant and making Victor happy, she seemed fine again -- until Adam pulled another trick on her. He appeared as Sabrina and caused Ashley to fall down the stairs and miscarry. Adam cleaned up the mess, and reminded a Dr. Taylor, head of OB/GYN at Harvard, of a letter that Skye had written about him sexually assaulting his patients. Threatening that the letter would ruin the doctor's career, Adam coerced Dr. Taylor to convince Ashley that her baby was fine. Ashley began having a hysterical pregnancy and she still felt the baby move.

Mary Jane appeared to have some mental problems, confiding in a stuffed cat she called "Kitty", and building a scrapbook of those who wronged her. After several evasive meetings, Paul ordered a background check on her. Then after Mary Jane spotted Paul and Nikki talking with Paul's brother Father Todd, she ran to Victor in a panic for support. Victor paid her off and terminated her services. After Paul confronted Mary Jane with the knowledge that she was going by an alias, she reported Paul to the police for stalking, and slapped a restraining order on him.

After Ashley's tormentor chopped the baby's head from the statue of Sabrina and her baby in the garden at the ranch, Victor decided that for Ashley’s sake, it was time to move on from mourning Sabrina. Victoria was very distressed when Victor had the statue removed and took down Sabrina's portrait from the living room. Victor asked Victoria to rebuild the Newman art collection that he had sold after Sabrina's death.

Suspicious of Adam again, Victor arranged for another specialist to see Adam. In preparation to inject himself prior to the appointment, Adam broke the vial of Botox, so was expecting the doctor to find him out. But to Adam's shock, the doctor declared that due to the puncture wounds in his eyes, he was actually going blind with retinitis pigmentosa. Adam told them he had been subjected to eye puncture torture in prison, and skated through another close call, but he was seriously distressed by the diagnosis, and of course blamed Victor.

Rafe was hot on Adam's trail, and, in trying to clear his Aunt Estella, confronted Adam. Knowing that Rafe was gay, Adam pretended to be interested in Rafe, and they had a sexual encounter. Afterward, Adam called Heather to come to him immediately. Adam showered, and when she arrived, they made love. Victor asked Rafe to find out who was responsible for the needle attack on Adam, but Rafe discovered the attack was never reported. Rafe accused Adam of lying about it, so Adam hit on him again, but Rafe said he was not a fool. Adam feigned offense, saying he was only scared they would kill him. They kissed and made up, but Nikki walked in and saw them.

Jeffrey Bardwell showed Victor a photo of Victor hugging Mary Jane, and offered not to show it to Ashley if Victor would pay him, Gloria, and Jill an amount equal to what they had lost when Victor pulled his funds from their offshore bank. Victor sneered at him, "You don't know who you're dealing with.", and went to Jill. Jill offered to settle for Victor giving her a job at Newman, but he turned her down. Victor asked Gloria and Jeff to create some scandal for Colleen to get her off the Newman board, and then he might consider their request. They arranged for Aiden, the Athletic Club bartender and an aspiring actor, to get Colleen drunk at Jimmy's Bar, where Jeff took video of her dancing on a table baring her breasts. To make sure everyone saw it, Gloria got Kevin to unknowingly put the video out on the Internet, and get her an untraceable email address. Victoria saw it, and under Victor’s orders she called Colleen to Newman to demand her resignation. Meanwhile Victor gave Ashley the news that she would be getting Colleen's board position. Colleen brought Billy with her and refused to sign, accusing Victor of arranging the setup. Victoria told Colleen that they would have her removed, and Colleen threatened to sue. Victor and Victoria were also furious with J.T. because the video showed him pulling Colleen down off the table. Victor asked J.T. for an explanation, and he said he felt that it was important to help a friend keep from humiliating herself, to which Victor requested his resignation. J.T. and Victoria's relationship eroded further when J.T. suggested that Victor had set up Colleen.

Victor became suspicious of Mary Jane's sanity and arranged for her to leave town. Instead Adam stashed her in the garden shed at the ranch. Ashley became concerned that she was not feeling her baby move anymore, so Adam arranged for Dr. Taylor to do an ultrasound substituting a recorded sonogram that reassured her. Victor surprised Ashley by suggesting they get married that very day. Adam was asked to be his best man and Abby was their maid of honor. Victoria happened by on business and was invited to stay. But Adam, in cahoots with Mary Jane, had her walk by the window dressed as Sabrina after the ceremony, causing Ashley to faint. Victor decided to send Adam to a half-way house for the blind to make it less stressful for Ashley, but that was dropped after Adam made himself look like a hero chasing Mary Jane off the property, his ankle monitor causing the police to arrive. After finding out that Nikki had seen Adam and Rafe kissing, Nick told Victor that Adam was gay, and he took it amazingly well. Later Rafe arrived as Heather was leaving and noticed that they had obviously had sex, so Adam told Rafe that it was over between them.

Thanks to a comment from Cane, Billy made Jill admit how Victor had coerced her into firing everyone at Jabot, stealing the Abbott family company away from them, and putting Billy in charge as a figurehead. Billy reacted by interrupting the Newman board meeting and exposing Victor’s part in it in front of Ashley. Ashley reacted by having hallucinations of Sabrina taunting her that she would die like Sabrina did because of Ashley's love for Victor.

Paul talked J.T. into joining him in a new detective partnership, and he became involved in the Mary Jane Benson investigation. J.T. discovered through Mac that Mary Jane had been hiding out at Mac's bar, had stolen cash, and had disappeared, leaving a note that claimed Victor knew all about Mary Jane, which also infuriated Victoria.

It wasn't long before Paul and Nikki were living together, then Paul proposed and they became engaged. Nikki made sure to tell Victor in person. He was okay with it, saying Paul was an all-right fellow, but later told his children that he thought she was jumping into it because Victor was happy with Ashley. But after talking with Victor again the night before the wedding, she realized she would never love Paul like she still loved Victor, and she called off the wedding. Nikki told everyone that she had to get away, and disappeared into the dark in a hooded outfit to wait for a cab in front of the ranch. Meanwhile Ashley was driving back to the ranch, had another hallucination seeing Sabrina in a hooded outfit standing beside the road, and hit her with the car. When Ashley finally realized it was Nikki's face she saw, and after finding Nikki's cell phone there, she confessed to Victor, but Victor just assumed that Ashley needed psychiatric help. Meanwhile Adam intercepted mail from Nikki addressed from Boulder, Colorado, and did not tell Ashley or Victor about it.

Meanwhile a mystery woman took confession with Paul's brother Father Todd, and recognized her as their sister Patty. Paul spotted a woman at the athletic club in a blonde wig, recognized her as Mary Jane and followed her. When he confronted her, she pled with him not to turn her in, and confessed that she was Patty. Paul was shocked, but took her to the convent for sanctuary, and called his Assistant D.A. daughter, Heather, hoping to get her some help, not jail. Meanwhile a mystery woman took confession with Paul's brother Father Todd. Todd told Paul he recognized her as their long-missing sister Patty. Paul spotted a woman in a blonde wig at the Athletic Club, recognized her as Mary Jane, and followed her. When he confronted her, she pleaded with him not to turn her in, and confessed that she was Patty. Paul was shocked, but took her to the convent for sanctuary, and called his Assistant D.A. daughter, Heather, hoping to get Patty some help and not jail. Meanwhile Gloria and Jeff found out where she was, and hoping to steal Patty away to blackmail Victor, Gloria got inside dressed as a nun. Jack saw the standoff at the convent on TV, showed up there, and Paul let him inside. Jack too was shocked to discover that Mary Jane was Patty, and talked to her. Patty, with a kitten in her arms, had reverted to the young girl they both knew and called "Pattycake", saying that she knew that her big brother Paul and Jack would rescue her. Before Patty would surrender, she insisted Jack marry her, telling Jack that she was pregnant by him. Suddenly the lights went out, and Patty was taken away by Gloria. Paul and Jack figured out that Victor was responsible for Patty’s new identity, all the havoc she had caused, and her current mental state. Jack told Phyllis the truth about Mary Jane, and Phyllis confronted Victor, asking if he brought Patty to town and set her up to get back at Jack, which caused Patty to hurt Summer. Victor avoided the question, claiming he would never intentionally hurt a member of his family. Jack offered a two million dollar reward, hoping to outbid Victor. Jeff and Gloria heard about it on the radio as they were driving Patty to hide out at the Abbott cabin, and they ended up making deals with both Victor and Jack. But both of them had booby-trapped their briefcases with blue dye instead of the money that blew up in Jeff and Gloria’s faces. Meanwhile, Paul charged into the ranch and demanded to know how his friend Victor could have done this to his sister, and to him, but Victor just denied it and sent Paul away.

Jack and Billy were concerned about Ashley's emotional condition and tried to talk her out of leaving Victor, but she refused. After they learned that Victor had brought back Patty Williams and turned her into Mary Jane Benson with plastic surgery and a new background to get back at Jack, Billy practically kidnapped Ashley, but she returned to Victor on her own.

Patty Williams had been left tied to a chair at the Abbott cabin by Gloria and Jeff while they awaited the ransom from Victor and Jack. Colleen showed up, and not knowing who Patty was, Colleen let her loose. Patty kidnapped her at gunpoint, taking her to Camp Cheveyo, and tied her to a tree. After Patty used Colleen's phone to call Jack, and Colleen hollered "cow.." (because the camp slogan was "Cowabunga", and she and Jack had both gone there as kids) before she was disconnected. Jack, J.T., and Paul searched for Colleen, and convinced even Victoria that Victor had set this all in motion by bringing Patty back to Genoa City to get back at Jack.

Meanwhile Patty was bitten by a spider and had a bad reaction, Colleen got loose, and held the gun on Patty, unsure what to do as Patty begged her for help. When Colleen tried to help her, Patty grabbed the gun away, but Colleen was able to convince her that she would get help and return, and left in a canoe. Colleen fell out, and hit her head on the bottom of the boat as she surfaced, which sent her down again. Colleen was clearly drowning in the same lake as her father, with an eerie sequence of visions she was visited by the people who loved her who begged her to fight and come back to them. She even visited her best friend Lily giving her final advice. Colleen saw her dead father and grandfather, ready to take her to the beyond. Jack realized where Colleen was, raced to the camp, and pulled her out of the lake. But as he tried to administer CPR, Patty was there holding the gun on him. Victor arrived and tried to convince Patty to drop the gun and let Jack save Colleen. Patty shot Victor three times instead and ran into the woods. Paul followed Patty, and J.T. stayed to help Victor. Colleen's mother Traci and step-father Steve, along with Billy and Abby were at the hospital when Colleen was brought in, with Nick and Victoria there for Victor. Paul caught up with Patty and talked her into turning herself in, promised he would not abandon her, and she was taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Once Ashley was finally convinced that Victor was behind Patty's reign of terror, she packed to leave and wrote Victor a goodbye note. Then Billy showed up telling her that Victor had been shot, and they left for the hospital together. Victor arrived by ambulance in critical condition, and had surgery to remove a bullet from his heart. Ashley confronted Victor about all that he had caused and sent him into heart arrhythmia. Paul traced Nikki to a Colorado spa and brought her back to be with Victor. But Victor's heart was too far gone, and only a heart transplant could save him.

Tests confirmed Colleen was brain dead, and Traci finally made the heart-breaking decision to take her off life-support. Then Traci and Steve were told that Colleen was an organ-donor, and Nikki had the nerve to intrude to request Colleen’s heart to save Victor. Jack and Billy protested, then Jack reconsidered and agreed since Victor had basically saved his life. Victor and Colleen turned out to be a match, and Traci decided in favor of the transplant despite Billy ranting about how Victor was responsible for “Cee Cee’s” death and that she certainly would not have approved. Billy arranged a celebration of Colleen’s life instead of a funeral, with red balloons, and all wearing bright colors. Victoria arrived and read a letter from Victor that was filled with gratitude.

Meanwhile, Ashley was convinced by Jack to check in to the same mental hospital where Sharon was. Adam followed with Dr. Taylor in tow. It wasn't long afterward that Sharon went into labor, and with no obstetrician on-staff, Dr. Taylor was enlisted to deliver her baby. Ashley went into "labor" for her hysterical pregnancy, and begged Adam to deliver her baby in her room. He gave her a drug that knocked her out. Meanwhile Dr. Taylor delivered Sharon's baby girl. Adam snatched her out of his arms, and when Ashley awoke, Adam handed her Sharon's baby as her own. Dr. Taylor was forced to deliver the news to Sharon that her baby had been born malformed and died.

After Ashley overheard Nikki and Victor talk of their undying love, she told Victor that she wanted a divorce and was keeping the ranch for their daughters to grow up there, to which Victor did not object. Paul visited Patty in the state facility for the criminally insane and found her believing she was still 16 and married to Jack. Paul returned to home with Dr. Emily Peterson who had been Patty's psychiatrist when Victor found her, and looked exactly like Patty, and surprised Jack and Victor with her in Victor's hospital room.

Victor survived near death and a heart transplant in time to arrive on Nikki's arm for his "daughter" Faith Colleen Newman's christening, where Traci and Adam were godparents. Ashley told Victor she was getting a divorce and was taking the ranch as settlement for their children to grow up there, and he agreed to it. Ashley asked Adam to stay on living at the ranch. Victor insisted Adam have a place at Newman under Nick's purview as a Junior Vice President. On Adam's first day on the job, he gave the SEC an anonymous tip that Victoria had not disclosed to the recently acquired Savaneur company stockholders the gravity of Victor's condition, and they began investigating. Then he continued to pull tricks on both Nick and Victoria to get his foot further in the door at Newman.

Billy made a surprise move when he resigned as Co-CEO of Jabot and used a loan from Ashley to buy Restless Style magazine/webzine from Nick and Phyllis. Phyllis was reluctant, but decided that it was not fun anymore without Nick, and she could spend more time with Summer if she went back to work at Newman. In retaliation for Colleen's death, Billy’s first issue became an exposé of Victor Newman's role in it, and pointed out that after all that, Victor had been kept alive by the donation of Colleen's heart. The article also detailed Victor’s part in the failure of the bank in Grand Cayman. Victor took it rather calmly, while Ashley was livid when she realized that Billy had spent her money to vilify the father of her children. Victor visited Colleen’s grave, bought Nikki a ring, and left Faith a video of his version of his life story, then Victor and Nikki said their goodbyes and left for a cardiac rehab center in Belgium. The SEC investigated and ordered Victor to repay the Cayman bank depositors for their losses, including Jill, Gloria and Jeffrey.

Several months later, Victor returned from Belgium with Nikki on his arm, just in time to catch Adam and Nick in a fist fight knocking his portrait from his office wall. Victor declared he was back in charge and everything either of them had done in his absence would be undone. He later showed up at the ranch to see Ashley and his baby "daughter" Faith, and let her know that he wanted the ranch back.

After wealthy industrialist, Tucker McCall, was proven to be Katherine Chancellor's son and he tricked her to become the majority interest owner in Chancellor, it devastated Katherine. When Kay found out about Tucker and Jill’s relationship, she accused Jill of being in on his plot, and fired her from Jabot and Chancellor. As part of Nick's idea to get Chancellor back to Kay, Victor and Adam staged a public fight and Victor ran an article in Restless Style exposing Adam. So Tucker's first steps were to hire Adam Newman, J.T. Hellstrom, and Kevin Fisher, dump Jill as a lover, and sell Jabot. Because Victor had gotten Adam to disclose the sealed bids, Newman was able to outbid the Abbotts for Jabot. Victor announced Victoria would be CEO, and Gloria would be Jabot Ambassadress, just to stick it to Jack. Jack was livid when Victor fired him, and Jack accused Victor of dirty dealing; Ashley gave Victor back his ranch in disgust. After signing over Jabot to Victor, Tucker received word that Jack had gotten a judge to block the sale, pending investigation of Adam's part in it. When Adam did not show up at the hearing, the case and sale were delayed for thirty days and in the end, Tucker retained Jabot.

After witnessing Dr. Taylor's death, Phyllis did some investigating of Adam and Dr. Taylor's past in Boston, and found out about Dr. Taylor's sexual assaults of his patients. She and Ashley compared notes on Adam, and Ashley realized that he was the one who was gaslighting her to drive her insane, then threw Adam and Sharon off the ranch. Victor and Nick began having second thoughts about trusting Adam, after he came to them threatening to expose them if they screwed him over. Sharon, despite Ashley and Nick's warnings, stood by her man, Adam.

Sharon began to realize that her baby had not really died at birth, and was determined to get her back. Meanwhile Jack joined forces with Victor to take Adam down if Jabot could be returned to Chancellor. They plotted to get Sharon to lure Adam to the Abbott cabin, and with all the people Adam had wronged in attendance, even Rafe and Heather, they confronted Adam with what they knew. Adam played innocent even after Phyllis arrived with a deathbed letter Dr. Taylor had dictated to the ambulance EMT, which was meant for Ashley. The letter told Ashley that she had suffered a miscarriage months before and a hysterical pregnancy afterward, so she never gave birth that night. Ashley remembered meeting "Sabrina" on the stairs and falling, and realized it had to have been Adam. Everyone realized that Ashley and Victor's baby, Faith, was really Sharon's. A DNA test later proved it, and Ashley reluctantly gave Faith to Sharon. Everyone went home leaving Adam with Victor, Nick and Jack, but fearing they would kill him, Adam escaped into the woods and fell down a ravine. He was hospitalized and arrested claiming insanity and that he had been kidnapped by the Newmans and Abbotts.

"Emily" was assigned to give Adam a psychiatric evaluation. Since she was really Patty Williams, she knew all too well that Adam was a major manipulator, always managing to escape detection, so she declared him fit to stand trial. But Adam saw through her guise, let her know that he knew she was really Patty, and threatened to expose her if she didn't help him escape.

Patty arrived at the hospital to give him a sedative for transport, but he used it on the guard and then on her. While Patty lay on the floor unconscious, Adam showed up in Sharon's room at the Athletic Club in costume while the annual charity masquerade ball went on in the dining room below. Sharon got him to admit to accidentally causing Ashley's miscarriage and getting Dr. Taylor to switch their babies, then Nick arrived, and Adam escaped out the window.

"Emily" arrived late to the ball, spotted Adam among the crowd, and blasted him for using the same syringe on her and the guard. He threatened her again with exposing her as Patty. Sharon and Nick rushed in to the ball and told the police that Adam had just been there, as Sharon got a call from Adam demanding to meet her in the basement or "people will get hurt." Victor, Nick, Jack, Rafe, Heather, Paul, Ashley, and Patty went to the basement in search of Adam. Then an explosion rocked the building and sent everyone running for the street.

Victor and Jack rescued Jill and Kay, who were trapped in the restroom, and Nick rescued Phyllis, then Sharon and Faith, who had gone back upstairs. It was revealed that a gas line had been cut and a body burned beyond recognition found nearby. The body was later identified by DNA as Adam, and the lack of smoke in the lungs proved that he had been murdered before the fire. Suspects were Nick, Jack, Victor, Phyllis, Sharon, Victoria, "Emily," Ashley, Rafe, Heather, Billy, and Nikki. Heather was suspended from the D.A.'s office for her involvement in the incident at the cabin.

Evidence collected by Detective Chance Chancellor included Jack Abbott's monogrammed handkerchief found in the victim's mouth; blood on Nick's suit coat, which Phyllis and Sharon had connived to hide from the police; and Victor's broken watch stained with Adam's blood. Victor told District Attorney Pomerantz that he backslapped Adam in the basement after Adam taunted him about losing another child in Faith, which sent his watch flying, but he did not kill Adam. Nick cautioned Victor that they were "both involved in what happened" when he did not mention that Nick was there too. A homeless person found Nick's suit coat in a dumpster. Billy and Mac got him to give it up, and Mac turned it over to the police. Because a fancy European pen found at the crime scene was determined to be the murder weapon that had stabbed Adam in the heart and was traced to Victoria, she was arrested for Adam's murder.

Victor and Nikki were about to fly Adam's remains to be buried next to Hope in Kansas. But after Pomerantz revealed the contents of Adams's computer hard drive to contain video from the spy camera he had planted at the ranch and voice clips of Sabrina, Victor instead shoved the casket out the cargo door of the plane. At Victoria's arraignment, Billy interrupted, proclaiming her innocence because she was in his hotel room at the time of the murder, but Victoria refused to admit it was true. Meanwhile, Jill was reporting this latest Newman scandal on the Restless Style website, and was Twittering updates, for which Billy later fired her. Charges were later dropped against Victoria when Nick's coat was found, and he was arrested.

Nick explained the blood on his coat by admitting he was there when Victor had struck Adam. But Victor intervened and confessed to killing his son. All charges were dropped, and Nick and Victor were released from jail. However, Nick was arrested again after Adam's last cell phone message was retrieved. Adam had set them up saying the family had him trapped in the basement and he doubted he would get out alive, then said, "No, don't Nick!" While in jail, Nick was attacked with a hypodermic needle by Adam's former cohort, Frank Ellis, which led to Nick's being allowed out on bail for his own safety. Another call from Adam's phone was traced to a pay phone in a Minneapolis café.

Phyllis and Sharon went through the police evidence with Michael and found a Minneapolis parking stub. In Minneapolis, Phyllis and Sharon came upon a poster for missing person Richard Hightower, and Phyllis recognized him as the man who was costumed identically to Adam at the ball. The manager and waitress at the café identified Adam, and said Hightower was the man with a little boy who had met Adam there. Victor discovered that Adam had never gone back to Hope's grave in Kansas like he said he had when he disappeared for a week shortly before his death, and Paul uncovered the fact that Hightower had leukemia and had gotten a bone marrow transplant from Adam in Minneapolis instead. Nick put it all together -- the resemblance between the missing Richard Hightower and Adam, the bone marrow that was used for the identification would have the same DNA as Adam, and the body burned beyond recognition -- and realized that Adam had probably killed Hightower and faked his own death.

Victor’s daughter, Abby, staged a protest in the Jabot lobby against their use of animals for testing. She removed her coat and exposed her nude body to reporters and photographers shouting, “My name is Abby Newman. I'd rather be naked than wear fur!” Later she met Kent Grazier, a guy who was helping her to get her own reality TV show “The Naked Heiress”. Abby expected to get her inheritances from Brad and Colleen to finance it, but Ashley and Victor refused. So Abby charged an $85,000 piece of jewelry and gave it to Kent to hock, and hired Rafe to sue for her inheritances. Abby began working on Jack for financing and on Billy for exposure in Restless Style. When Billy said no to posting the video they made of Victor and Ashley denying Abby her inheritance, Abby found a video of Billy and Victoria’s impulsive Jamaican wedding to use as leverage. Rafe invited his friends to a party at Jimmie’s Bar to celebrate the opening of his private law practice. Abby Newman became his first client to sue her parents. Billy and Victoria attended but kept their distance. Abby shouted congratulations to them on their marriage and played their Jamaican wedding video on her phone when no one believed her. Victor was furious when he was informed and got Michael on it. Michael discovered a Jamaican law that invalidated the marriage because it occurred after 8:00 p.m., and Billy and Victoria reluctantly parted, saying that they were a bad match anyway. Abby’s lawsuit went to court and the judge, seeing what a spoiled brat she had become, gave condolences to them, and ruled in favor of her parents.

Nick and Phyllis shared their theory with Victor and Nikki, and Sharon produced a letter from a bank that confirmed that Adam had withdrawn all his cash on the day he supposedly died. A bearded Adam was shown lounging on a beach with a drink in his hand. Victor, Nick, and Jack dug up Adam's grave, and an expert took dental impressions of the body to be compared to Hightower's while the three were arrested. Meanwhile, Sharon and Phyllis found a mask in the cornfield where Adam's cab had dropped him the night of the ball. But a crop duster dumped pesticide on them, causing Sharon lung poisoning. Nick arrived and got her to the hospital in time to save her. Nick arrived and got her to the hospital in time to save her. The dental records confirmed the body was Hightower, so Pomerantz decided to arrest Nick for Hightower's murder. Victor got the crop duster pilot to admit that Adam had paid him to fly him to Ottawa, and Victor demanded the pilot take him there too. Like Adam before him, Victor parachuted out of the plane, winding up at a bar, where he befriended bartender, Meggie McClain. Meggie flirted with Victor, but Victor let her know that he was taken, and spoke about his reclaimed love for his ex-wife Nikki back in Genoa City. Victor found Shaw Roberts, the thug who had helped Adam, but Shaw would not tell him that Adam had left on a Portuguese freighter. Then Adam received a phone call in São Paulo, Brazil, apparently from Shaw telling him that Victor had been knocked over the head after tracking Adam to the bar.

Adam rolled over in bed to his old girlfriend Skye Lockhart, who supposedly was murdered and dismembered two years prior. Skye assured him that they had covered his tracks well. Adam wanted to leave immediately, but Skye reminded him of the upcoming poker score of a lifetime, and that they had bribed Brazilian officials not to extradite them if they were caught.

Back in Canada, Victor discovered a photo he recognized as Skye hanging on the wall of the bar with a message on the back apparently left there for Adam. Meanwhile in Genoa City, Nick thought to ask the pilot if Adam had borrowed his phone. Adam had, and when Nick called the number, Skye answered. Because Nick was out on bail and could not leave the country, Jack arrived in Ottawa just in time to rescue Victor from a sinking ship he had been trapped on by the thug.

Together, Jack and Victor hoped to set up Skye and Adam by posing as high rollers who were losing millions. Sharon called the phone number, and Adam, who was grieving losing her, answered. Sharon led him to believe that she still loved him, and later Victor asked her to join them to help set Adam up. Nick's trial began with Michael as his lawyer, hoping to prove that Adam had set Hightower up and faked his own death by killing Hightower and blaming Nick. Meanwhile back in São Paulo, Skye and Victor were the final players a high-stakes poker game - winner take all, including Adam. Victor won, and Skye led him to Adam.

Victor forced Adam to return to Genoa City with him and Sharon, leaving Skye behind with a briefcase full of cash. Victor interrupted Nick's trial, expecting Adam to confess like Victor had coerced him after finding Adam alive, but instead Adam faked a mental breakdown and was taken to the same mental facility as Patty. Patty was unaware that Adam was there or even still alive. He tormented Patty by entering her room through the air ducts and made her believe that she had killed Hightower. Patty confessed to the staff. In his room down the hall, Adam was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder. Patty, realizing that Adam gotten her to confess, told Paul that she "killed the other Adam." In court, Paul got Patty to rave about how she did other things that were impossible, so she was declared unfit to stand trial and returned to the state facility.

Adam asked Billy to get Rafe to be his lawyer, but Rafe told him to "go to hell." As Adam's bail hearing began with him acting as his own lawyer, Skye waltzed in with famous lawyer, Vance Abrams, who got Adam released on bail. Skye paid his bail in exchange for becoming Adam's wife. Pomerantz refused to exonerate Nick, but proceeded with the case against Adam.

When Adam found out that Patty was telling everyone she was sure that she did not murder Hightower, he helped her escape through the air ducts, and sent her in a nun’s habit to Canada. Paul was sure that Adam helped her escape, but Skye had arranged an air-tight alibi. Adam discovered that Sharon took Faith to get away to the Abbott cabin. He attempted to get in, scared her, and she shot him in the arm with a gun that Nick had left for her protection. Nick arrived, called an ambulance, and Adam was taken to the hospital where he recovered and exonerated Sharon as having been understandably scared, not knowing it was him. Paul later received a call from a red-headed, black cat-tattooed Patty in a bar in South America. She told him that she was fine but would never return, as she twisted the rosary beads in her hand and necked with a guy and asked him if she could call him Jack.

Just as Nikki and Victor were celebrating how happy they finally were together, Meggie McClain showed up at their door from Canada with only the clothes on her back, and promptly passed out from exhaustion. Meggie claimed that Shaw Roberts, the guy who shanghaied Victor, had shot up her bar in retaliation for helping him, and that she had left town in fear for her life. Victor asked her to stay at the ranch with them, explaining to Nikki that he owed Meggie his life. But he hired Paul to look into her story. Paul took the job to help protect his friend Nikki from the woman who may have been a threat, but Meggie's story checked out. Seeing the way Meggie looked at Victor, Nikki let her know that Victor was hands-off. Victor soon presented Nikki with an engagement ring while Meggie spied on them from the next room.

After her agent dropped Abby’s show idea due to lack of funds, Abby was even more determined to get her inheritances, but Victor told her she was not mature enough to handle her money yet. Jack stopped her from selling the mansion she was left by Brad and Colleen, and suggested that she use her number two stockholder position as leverage. She tried, but Victor shot it down, so she staged another protest, interrupting Victor and Nikki’s engagement party by riding into the Genoa City Athletic Club dining room nude, upon her horse Pericles, as Daniel recorded her on video. Victor smashed the camera and tossed a robe over Abby and told her it was not going to work, so she threatened to sell her million-dollar horse. The Club manager called the police and had Abby arrested. Abby was thrilled for the publicity, until she found herself stuck in jail four days awaiting her arraignment. But Daniel brought Jack who bailed her out. Abby informed her mother that the house was hers and she kicked her out, so Ashley moved home to Abbott Manor. She and Victor relented and gave Abby a substantial check from her trust, but she turned it down, demanding it all.

Because Tucker’s snooping into his business dealings was making Victor suspicious, Victoria traveled to Japan for her father with a rare gift to ensure their deal with Mitsukoshi department stores remained intact, and Billy tagged along. Just before Victoria left for her meeting with Mitsukoshi’s representative, Tucker and Ashley greeted her and Billy in the hotel bar. After returning to Genoa City, Billy found on the Internet that the gift, which he had peeked at, was a priceless antique gun. Tucker made a deal with Jill to find out what the gift had been in exchange for a detective to get more information on Jill’s real parents. Guessing Billy’s password, Jill found the gun in his web search history, and gave the information to Tucker. Tucker confronted Victor with it hoping he could leverage Victor into giving up the Newman cosmetics line, but instead Victor went to the authorities and explained the illegal gift. Billy fired Jill when he found out what she had done, and he and Victoria made up once she realized it had not been him who told Tucker about the gift.

Skye invested her gambling winnings by creating a hedge fund she called “The Newman Fund”, with the intention to become rich and get Adam back his good name. Adam’s pre-trial conspiracy hearing was held with him making Vance promise not to question Sharon’s credibility. Vance did not, but he brought up Ashley’s past mental breakdowns, and the Newman’s vendetta against Adam to win, and the evidence against Adam declared insufficient to take to trial. Richard Hightower’s young son, Justin, attended, and Victor assured his guardian that he would take care of Justin for the rest of his life. Adam’s deceased mother, Hope, appeared to Adam in a dream to tell him that “I will never rest in peace knowing what you’ve done.” Victor gathered the Abbotts and Newmans together and very un-Victor-like, told them all to let it go, that karma would pay Adam back in the end. They each were served with a summons later for a civil suit for holding Adam against his will –- all except Sharon. Michael met with Vance, called it frivolous, but Vance said they would accept nothing less than twenty million dollars in damages.

Skye warned Adam that he was risking the success of their hedge fund by filing the lawsuit, and damaging their relationship by always favoring Sharon, reminding him that Sharon was never going to forgive him for stealing her baby Faith. Victor arranged a settlement meeting with Adam and his lawyer Vance. Victor persuaded them to drop the lawsuit against the Newmans when he presented Skye as his star witness saying that she was ready to testify that Adam planted the ring to fake Skye’s death and disclose that she knew all about Adam’s dirty dealings with Dr. Taylor, Sharon and Ashley. As they left, Skye warned Adam that she was in control, and not to screw her over again. Unfortunately, the Abbotts had legally separated their lawsuit from the Newman’s, so theirs was not settled.

Meggie made herself at home in the ranch house with free room and board. Victor’s told Meggie to charge to him anything she needed at Fenmore’s, which she took advantage of by buying expensive clothes and shoes. After Nikki called her on it, Meggie made apologies and agreed to leave. But later that day Meggie was confronted by Shaw Roberts, the thug from her home in Canada. Nikki intervened and rescued her, then decided to let Meggie stay and give Meggie a job as her assistant. Meggie proved to be very helpful mostly scheduling Nikki’s many volunteer activities, and they became friendly. But after Meggie offered Nikki a drink and was told that Nikki was a recovering alcoholic, Meggie began spiking Nikki’s sodas with vodka.

Victor continued to interfere in Victoria’s romance with Billy, reminding her that Newmans and Abbotts did not mix well. Victor threatened to let her take the fall for the illegal gun gift, and made her choose between him and Billy. Victoria chose Billy and gave Victor her resignation. Victoria pondered where to go after she moved out of the ranch, Billy asked her to move in with him, and she accepted. They celebrated by getting tattoos, Victoria’s on her lower back saying “Billy Abbott” and Billy’s on his shoulder saying “Victoria.” But the tattoo artist had a heart attack and was taken away by ambulance leaving Billy’s unfinished. To his dismay, his shoulder said “Victor”. (Later when Victor saw it, he paid another tattoo artist to finish it.) As much as Victoria was committed to her new life with Billy, waking up that first morning and realizing that she was "living in a double-wide with no room for her stuff", not to mention her son when he visited, she and Billy decided to go house hunting.

They called the realtor and were assigned a new agent, who turned out to be Gloria Bardwell. Gloria showed them a house that was redone exactly like the one from one of their favorite old television shows, Father Knows Best. With rooms for both Delia and Reed, Billy and Victoria fell in love with it, and bought it on the spot. They had just moved in when Billy was shocked to see a pregnancy test kit fell out of Victoria’s bag. While she took the test, Billy went to Jimmie’s Bar for a stiff drink. Mac overheard his circumstances and sent him home to Victoria. Then the spirit of his dead father, John, made him realize that he really loved Victoria. So Billy went home and presented Victoria with an engagement ring before even hearing the results, and she accepted. Victoria went up to take another test, and rushed the stairs shouting “We’re pregnant!” not realizing that her parents were there in the living room with Billy. Nikki was thrilled for them, but Victor was livid.

Billy and Victoria wanted to get married the next day, but since they could not get a license, they planned a trip to Las Vegas. When Nikki heard, she pulled some strings with her friend, Judge Anderson, and got them a license. Judge Anderson officiated at the impromptu ceremony in Victoria and Billy’s front yard. (An inside joke: Judge Anderson was played by Elinor Donohue, who played Betty in Father Knows Best.) But just as the vows were being exchanged, Victoria was arrested for violating the laws governing foreign gifts. As she was being dragged to the police car, Judge Anderson quickly finished the vows, and they were officially married. Vance Abrams took her case, but Victoria spent her wedding night in jail. Victor visited the following morning and admitted that he had turned her in – for her own good, and offered to have the charges dropped if she would get rid of Billy. Victoria declined, told Victor he would never again be a part of her life or her children’s, and went back to her cell. Vance got Victoria released on bail, and Victor finally relented and admitted to the authorities that Victoria was delivering the gun under his orders, but Victoria refused to forgive him. Victoria was offered an executive position with Jabot by Tucker McCall. The newlyweds sealed their marriage by having wedding rings tattooed on their ring fingers. Following another shouting match with Victor, Victoria had some pain and lost her baby at seven weeks.

Abby hired Vance Abrams to sue Victor for mismanagement of her trust. Victor tried to dissolve the trust but Vance had put a freeze on it. But Abby dropped the lawsuit when she saw how Victor had Victoria arrested on her wedding day to get what he wanted. After Jack gave Abby evidence that Victor had used money from each of his children’s trusts to pay his fine for bribery of the Japanese official, Abby re-filed her lawsuit for three billion dollars, and served the papers to Victor herself. When Abby told Victoria about it, she joined Abby in the lawsuit, but Nick refused. On the anniversary of Colleen’s death, Victor was reminded that getting her heart had not changed him, so he offered a settlement. He asked Victoria to return to Newman and offered to let Abby create an entertainment division for her reality television show. Saying they could not be bought and wanted to be independent, they turned down the offer. Nikki decided that since the family was so divided, she and Victor should elope instead of having a wedding.

Victor and Jack conspired to invest in the Newman Fund as the N.A. Partnership along with some other friends of Jack’s, intending to pool their money and destabilize the fund, then shorting the shares when Skye and Adam would be forced to sell. Meanwhile D.A. Heather Stevens had Skye investigated. Heather confronted Skye and Adam with the discovery that San Paulo Judge Medeiros; the man whom Skye had bribed and who also headed the San Paulo mafia; had disappeared along with a lot of money. In fact the balance he took when he closed his bank account was nearly same amount that Skye had opened her account with on her arrival in Genoa City.

Victor sent Meggie McLain to the Harvest Festival to give Murphy his donation for the cause. Murphy and Meggie recognized each other, and she dropped the check and ran. Murphy got into his car and called Victor to warn him saying he “would not let this happen again”. Meggie got into the car, grabbed the phone out of Murphy's hands, and threw it out the car door. Murphy got so angry that he had a heart attack, and reached for his digitalis. Meggie grabbed it away and threw them on the floor of the car, leaving him there to die. Later in the hospital as Murphy recovered, Meggie injected something in his IV that gave him another attack and a stroke. Just as Kay was about to make the decision not to put Murphy on life support, he opened his eyes. Unable to speak or move with “locked in” syndrome, Murphy’s eyes focused on Meggie across the room.

Meggie continued to spike Nikki’s soda and tea, causing Nikki to go to both Paul and Katherine for support, and she return to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings when she realized she was being drawn to alcohol again. But Nikki began showing up at Gloworm and getting drunk. One night, Gloworm bartender Deacon Sharpe, who had befriended Nikki at A.A., helped her home and began counseling her. But when Deacon spotted Meggie slipping Nikki drinks, he offered to help Meggie take down Nikki so she could get Victor for herself, if he would be well-compensated. Meggie told Nikki that she had noticed liquor had been disappearing from the bar at Newman ranch, and that maybe they should let Victor know that he had a thief on the staff. Nikki quickly said no, that she would handle it herself. But Meggie made sure that Victor found out about it. Victor took the hint and asked Nikki if she was drinking again, causing her to run off to Deacon who faked going off the wagon with her. When Nikki returned home looking disheveled, Victor confronted her, and he ended up postponing their elopement.

Meggie accompanied Nikki to the hospital to see Murphy, causing his heart monitor to spike, and Nikki went for a nurse. Then Brock called to check on them and Kay and Nina left the room to get better phone reception, leaving Meggie behind. Meggie warned Murphy that he had better stop trying to use Morse Code to communicate with his eyelids, that she knew all his tricks from when she was married to Murphy’s son. Nikki told Meggie to take her car home and hired a driver to take her to Deacon’s hotel room where she began drinking again. But when Nikki arrived home she and Victor made up and decided to get married in a couple of days. Meggie called Deacon to let him know they had better come up with something to stop the wedding, and fast.

The day that Victor and Nikki were to leave for Las Vegas, Meggie made sure to spike Nikki’s tea during a wedding dress selection at Fenmore’s. Afterward Jill found Nikki’s glass and told Victor that Nikki had been drinking. Victor confronted Nikki which sent her running to Deacon’s hotel room. After Nikki passed out, Deacon and Meggie arranged for Victor to arrive and find Nikki in Deacon’s bed with him. Victor called off the wedding and checked Nikki in to Solidarity House for rehab. Then Meggie arranged for Deacon to be admitted there as well. When Nikki saw Deacon staying there too, she warned him to stay away from her. Meanwhile Meggie took over at the ranch, playing the faithful friend to “poor Victor”.

Victoria and Abby’s lawsuit went into mediation, and Victor made them another offer for half of what they had asked. But Victoria decided she wanted Beauty of Nature instead, Abby went along with it, but Victor turned them down flat. At a stalemate, the judge ordered an audit of the Newman books to decide how much money had been mismanaged and if Beauty of Nature was a reasonable settlement. Victor refused and was about to be hauled off to jail, when they were stopped by Heather Stevens, whose campaign Victor was financing. Heather said the case was being reheard by a higher court, and later confided in Victor that she hoped this favor would not reflect badly on her career and campaign for District Attorney. Unfortunately for Heather, Billy Abbott found out and accused her on the Restless Style webzine of using her office to grant Victor favors, so Heather dropped out of the race in disgrace. After taking office, the new D.A. delivered the news to Adam, then to Heather, that he would not be pursuing any of former D.A. Pomerantz’s cases, then fired Heather from her Assistant D.A. position. Victor later lost the appeal, and his company financial records were seized.

Victor ran into Deacon outside Nikki’s room and yelled at him causing a scene. When Nikki defended Deacon for helping her, Victor tore into her for always falling for a lowlife when things got tough, so Nikki threw him out. Deacon realized he cared for Nikki and told Meggie he wanted no part of her con anymore.

Meggie visited her safe deposit box for what was apparently the same drug she used on Murphy’s son, Francis. Meggie had made plans to drug Victor, fly to Las Vegas and get married; then afterward make sure that Victor died from a sexual enhancement drug reaction on his new heart, which would make her a rich widow. Meanwhile, Murphy had finally gotten through to Ronan by tapping his finger with Morse code to warn him of danger. All went as Meggie had planned. They returned to the ranch married, and once Meggie had given Victor the drug, she got cocky, asking him how he felt and told him that he was about to die and make her a rich widow. But Victor suddenly came out of his stupor, grabbed Meggie by the hair, and told her that he was on to her, and that he had tricked her into confessing her intention to murder him. Ronan and Heather walked in, along with Murphy in a wheelchair being pushed by a policeman, his eyes zeroing in on Meggie accusingly. Meggie squirmed while Ronan explained that Murphy had exposed her by using Morse code. Heather informed Meggie that they knew about her reputation as a black widow and that she was wanted in several states for suspicion of murder. Meggie was arrested and taken to jail. She was later extradited to Alaska, where they felt that they had an airtight murder case against her and expected to get a conviction.

Back at the rehab clinic, after hearing the news of Victor and Meggie’s marriage, Nikki jumped into bed with Deacon for solace. Victor walked into her room unannounced and caught them in bed. After Deacon left, Victor told Nikki that the marriage was a ruse, that Meggie had been conning them while slipping Nikki alcohol get her out of the picture. A livid Nikki suddenly turned contrite, begging Victor to forgive her for not trusting him. Victor walked out, hurling insults, and promised to never have anything to with Nikki again. Victoria arrived and consoled Nikki, telling her that their breakup had been Meggie and Victor’s fault, not her own. Nikki decided that it had been yet another sign that she and Victor were just not meant to be.

Adam served Skye with divorce papers and gave her a contract which removed him from the Newman Fund and gave her all the money. Although Victor and Jack’s plan to ruin Adam was to sell all their shares from the hedge fund after the end of the year, Victor suddenly pulled out his share of their investment in November. It caused the fund to collapse and cost millions of dollars in losses to Jack and the friends who he had brought in as investors. Jack was livid that Victor had blindsided him once again, and warned him that he was in trouble with the FCC over what he had done. But having faith in Skye’s ability, Jack ordered his broker to buy up all the remaining shares of the Newman Fund while it was at rock bottom in an attempt to recoup. Victor called in Michael to help with the FCC, and feeling guilty over Heather being fired, he asked Michael to consider hiring her to help with the workload that Victor was continually piling on him. Michael offered Heather a contract with an opportunity to be made a partner after two years, and she accepted.

The police were called to Skye’s room at the Athletic Club which had been trashed and Skye’s blood was found, but she was missing. Victor told everyone he was leaving town to visit all his subsidiaries around the world. He stopped at the ranch to pack and ran into Nikki, who had just gotten out of rehab. Nikki tried to reason with him but he refused to listen, telling her that they were through, and to pack her things and be gone from the ranch before he returned. Victor boarded his jet, and Skye was there waiting to leave with him. Skye recalled how she had gone to Victor in desperation when the hedge fund had failed, and Adam had left her holding the bag and facing prison. So Victor had made it appear that Skye was dead to set up Adam for her murder. Victor gave Skye a new identity and promised to take care of her financially for the rest of her life so long as she did not play high stakes poker or divulge who she was. With a veiled threat that he had bested her two times, and if she screwed him over the third time, she would be “out”, Victor delivered Sky to the middle of a Hawaiian jungle where a car awaited her.

Back in Genoa City the next day, Adam was questioned by Ronan Malloy, and Sharon as well, for a possible conspiracy to get rid of Skye so that she and Adam could be together. Sharon believed in Adam’s innocence, so she hired Vance’s associate, Leslie Michaelson, to represent Adam.

Then Adam and Sharon uncovered a freight elevator security camera photo from the night Skye supposedly was killed which showed two people under an umbrella, and Adam recognized Skye’s purse and shoes. They dared Phyllis to help them prove Adam’s innocence for an exclusive story. Phyllis and Jack instead discovered a sack behind a dumpster that contained Skye’s same purse and shoes, which only further incriminated Adam and led to his arrest for suspicion of murder.

Nick ran into Diane Jenkins at the Athletic Club, they had dinner together, and he took her back to the ranch where they made love in front of the fireplace. But when Victor returned from his trip unexpectedly, Diane sneaked out the back door. Later Diane accepted a job from Victor as in-house architect for Newman, her first project to be the renovation of the ranch house. She also accepted Victor’s invitation for her and Kyle to move into the carriage house, and she carried on with Nick after hours.

By December 2010, Victor had alienated his entire family and was spending Christmas alone at the ranch. In a Scrooge-like Christmas experience, fire shot out of the fireplace as his deceased father Albert appeared to Victor on his television and accused him of abandoning his family and turning into a mean old man like himself who was forced to walk the earth even after his death. Albert warned Victor that he would be visited by three spirits that night. The first spirit was his dead ex-wife Hope who took him to visit the past; his mother on Christmas eve delivering him as Christian Miller to the orphanage where he had cried himself to sleep every night expecting her to return. Victor watched himself run away and vow to become a new man, and rename himself Victor Newman. Hope reminded him of all that Nikki had done for him, giving him a more balanced life, a family, and reuniting him with his mother before she died.

The next spirit was Victor’s dead wife Sabrina who showed him the present with his son Adam alone in jail, framed for a murder he didn’t commit. Victor watched Ashley become engaged to Tucker, and Diane missing Christmas with her son Kyle because Victor had made her work all weekend. Victor saw the rest of his family celebrating Christmas at Victoria and Billy’s, his younger children missing him, the older ones glad he was not there to spoil the fun, and Nikki wishing him well in the spirit of Christmas. Sabrina left Victor, warning him that he was doomed if he continued to live refusing to see things outside of his own narrow point of view.

The final spirit never spoke, but showed Victor a future where Victoria had merged Beauty of Nature with Jabot, and Nikki had remarried Jack, both finally making peace between the Newmans and the Abbotts. Victoria and Billy had a daughter whom they kept unaware that Victor had ever existed, Abby had become the star of “The Naked Heiress”, Nick had turned into another Victor immersed in work and ignoring or demeaning his children, and they watched Sharon place flowers on Adam’s grave.

Victor returned home to see himself dead in his bed a week yet no one had found him. Then he saw a graveside gathering where the family only showed up out of obligation and quickly made excuses to leave. Victor then realized that the spirit had been Colleen, and that she believed that he had done wrong with her heart, but vowed the story would not end the way she had foreseen it. When Victor awoke Christmas morning, he gave his staff fat bonuses and the day off. He brought gifts to the Abbotts, congratulated Ashley and Tucker on their engagement, hugged Traci, and freed Diane to be with her son. Victor brought gifts, flowers, and wine to Victoria and Billy’s, and joined his family for Christmas. Billy read the Christmas Carol story, Nikki said goodbye to Victor, as he went home to spend the rest of Christmas in front of the fireplace smiling with his dog Segundo. But within a week, Victor was back to business as usual once again.

In their quest to prove that Skye was still alive, Adam and Sharon located the only supplier of Skye’s favorite Galibier perfume in Monaco, who had just shipped an order to a post office box in Hawaii. Sharon flew to Hawaii, but the proprietor of the general store where the box was located claimed no knowledge of Skye, even though he had just spoken to her. Knowing Skye’s craving for adventure, Sharon took a guided moonlight hike on an active volcano. Skye was there alone looking very plain with no makeup and braids, and they met when Sharon was separated from her group. After Skye refused to return home with Sharon, Sharon took a photo as proof that Skye was alive. But Skye reached for her glove, lost her footing and fell into the volcano. Sharon held on to Skye and promised she would not let her go, but Skye lost her footing and fell to her death with her final words, “I would not bet on that.” Victor watched unseen in the dark, doing nothing to help. Sharon was unable to convince the authorities that Skye had ever been there, and Victor made sure when he found Sharon’s camera and tossed it into the volcano. Then Victor set Skye’s shack on fire. Later, back in Genoa City, Adam and his attorney, Leslie, believed Sharon, but the police assumed she had made up the story as an attempt to free Adam.

Posing as a surfer, Jack went to Hawaii hoping to find evidence to prove that Victor was involved in Skye’s death. No one would admit to seeing Skye, but Jack found Skye’s burned shack, and in it the remains of a bottle of Galibier perfume. Later Jack saw someone turn in a set of keys found on the volcano which included the mailbox key the perfume was delivered to, and the same key ring Skye had had been photographed holding in the Newman elevator security tape. The evidence got Adam released from jail and cleared of all charges in Skye’s death. But after Adam moved in with Sharon at her house on the Newman ranch, and Sharon was still awarded shared custody of Faith, Victor made sure that Sharon was arrested for Skye’s murder in Hawaii. Then Victor later inexplicably posted her half-million dollar bail anonymously. Sharon realized she was in serious trouble after being confronted with a video taken by tourist at the volcano that night which included only the part of their conversation, when she had yelled at Sky and told her she would pay for setting up Adam for Skye’s supposed murder.

After Diane was caught by Victor too often at Nick’s, Nick told Diane he wanted to be just friends. Later the same evening, Diane and Victor became lovers again. But unable to resist Nick, she often returned to his bed as well. Victor spotted Diane necking with Nick, so Victor called her away to the Valentines benefit at Gloworm, where he presented a large donation to the puppy love fund and declared Diane the woman in his life while Nick, Nikki, and Deacon looked on. The next day, Diane apologized to Nick and informed him that she had been asked, but was going to refuse Victor's offer to move in. But Nick had seen Diane's true colors, and told her not to refuse on his account, so Diane accepted Victor's offer and moved in with him.

Jack and Phyllis made a deal with Sharon and Adam to help clear her of the murder charges. Phyllis and Jack, in Hawaii, discovered that the general store owner, Koa Aneko, had suddenly come into a lot of money and left the island. Then they found a guy who sold them a video showing Victor lurking in the shadows as Skye fell to her death. Once back home, Phyllis showed Nick the video, and Nick confronted Victor, calling him a damn liar. When Jack returned to town and discovered that Diane was now living with Victor, he insisted that Kyle live with him.

In February, 2011, Meggie was returned to Genoa City's jurisdiction because Alaska could not make the murder charge stick. Deacon threatened Meggie that he would testify against her if she told Nikki about his involvement in keeping Nikki off the wagon. Nikki warned Victor that Meggie was back, but he blew if off, and let her know that Diane was moving in with him. Then after Nikki left, he called Michael and told him to make sure Meggie never went free. Nikki visited Meggie in jail and gave her hell for ruining Nikki's sobriety and her marriage, and nearly killing Murphy, then warned her to stay out of her life.

Even after he was confronted with the existence of a video that showed him at the volcano when Skye died, Victor claimed that he was not involved. Bad timing for Victor, as Nick then decided to join his sisters in their lawsuit against for mismanaging their trusts. So Michael attempted to pressure Abby to drop out of the lawsuit while Victor worked on Nick. Victor told Nick that if they won their lawsuit, Victor would be forced to take Newman public, and they would only get a one time settlement with no future profits, and they would no longer be a part of the company. Victor threatened that their legacy to their children would be that they destroyed Newman as a family business, and that hundreds of people would lose their jobs because of their greed. Desperate to make sure he did not lose the lawsuit, Victor made a deal with Adam. Adam was to claim that he had forged their new trust agreements during the time when Victor was supposedly dead and Adam had control of Newman. In exchange, Victor drew up a new trust agreement for Adam, and Victor guaranteed Adam that he would not be prosecuted for the forgery, and that Sharon would be freed from the murder charges.

Adam testified at the arbitration hearing, but Sharon later talked him into backing out of the deal. When Victor found out, he threatened to expose that Adam had been making it look like Skye was still alive in an attempt to clear Sharon. Then Nick talked Adam into leaving town instead to both avoid Victor, and to reunite Sharon with her daughter Faith.

The next day, Neil testified that when Adam was in charge at Newman, Neil had kept Adam from accessing anything that would have made the forgery possible. The judge awarded Abby, Victoria, and Nick five hundred million dollars each, and ordered Adam arrested for perjury. Victor left with Michael, demanding that he find a way to overrule the judge's decision. The Newman children left to celebrate, but found it difficult when they realized and felt guilty that the verdict had come down on their father's birthday. Neil also felt guilty for turning on his former boss and friend, Victor.

After his loss at the arbitration hearing, Victor went home a broken man. Not finding Diane, he went to the stables to go for a ride, and found Nikki there preparing to do the same. They commiserated about the verdict and the destruction of their family, and ended up making love in a pile of hay. Diane came looking for Victor, saw them, and left. Later, Nikki and Victor agreed that it was just a one time thing. To help convince himself, Victor told Diane they were flying to Las Vegas on the Newman jet to be married. Diane balked at his assumption and not even being properly proposed to, Victor attempted to make up for it by charming her and a new dress for the occasion, then told her that he would be awaiting her answer on the jet. After Diane got his blessing from her son Kyle, and ran into Nick, and gave one last attempt to be with him instead, Diane met Victor on the jet. They flew to Las Vegas, and with Michael as their witness, were married on the jet. Victor, Diane, and Michael arrived back in Genoa City for a reception at Gloworm, and were met by Lauren and Katherine, the only remaining friends who Victor could invite. Phyllis and Jack later reluctantly dropped off Kyle for the party, and to return to live at the ranch. Fresh from her breakup with Deacon, Nikki walked in looking to drown her sorrows in a drink and discovered the wedding party. She left after making eye contact with Victor, then drank herself to sleep in her room at the athletic club.

Loyal friend Katherine told Victor about the deals that Jack and Victoria had made with Tucker to get Beauty of Nature from Victor to merge it with Jabot once they were awarded it in the arbitration hearing. They decided that together, Victor and Katherine would outwit them all. Michael went to Victor with his options for the settlement, citing turning over Beauty of Nature which would do the least damage. Victor refused.

It didn’t take long for Abby's old manager Kent to hear about her settlement, and to appear on the scene, ready to begin production of the Naked Heiress reality show. Abby called a press conference at Gloworm and stripped on camera for the occasion while he and Daniel watched admiringly. The police arrived, and Abby was arrested again. Ashley went to bail her out, but Victor beat her to it. Abby showed up at the ranch later to thank Victor and apologize. Victoria and Nick both went to Victor and tried to make amends, but were rebuffed. After Victor quickly married Diane, and a few more altercations with him, Nick decided to join Victoria in acquiring and running Beauty of Nature. Meanwhile, Victor summoned Michael to the ranch, telling him that he had made a decision on the settlement offer.

Instead of accepting his children's settlement offer, Victor held a press conference to announce that he was taking Newman public. The Abbotts and Newmans, plus Tucker and Kay, watched the television at Victoria's house in shock, knowing that Victor had always promised that would never happen. Katherine was there, and denounced them for causing it, saying she was ashamed of them. Nikki just wanted it all to stop, and left too. Billy left for the press conference, and arrived in time to ask if Victor had done this rather than give his kids the settlement they were granted. Victor replied that he loved his kids, but they were influenced by some unsavory characters, and that he was saddened that they were not there to enjoy the new era of Newman.

In the end, Tucker fired Jack for not bringing him Beauty of Nature, as promised, Victoria and Nick were arranging to buy up stock, as were Jack and Ashley. Abby just wanted her settlement in cash, and Tucker asked Kay to buy stock with him to stop the kids from gaining control. Kay called it a scheme, said she was not a fool, and would have no part of it. Then Kay went to Victor offering to pool her funds with his so that none of them could seize control of Newman from him. Tucker offered to buy Abby's stock options but her resentment of Tucker made her sell them to Jack. Jack later offered them to Tucker in exchange for Jabot, but was turned down. Tucker then proposed to the Chancellor board that they buy Newman stock, resell it to Tucker at a loss and take a tax write-off. When Katherine found out, she met with Victor, ready to bring Tucker down.

As always, a family crisis brought Nikki and Victor together when Victoria's adopted baby was taken from her. Commiseration led to their making love. Diane walked in on them, and took a photo of them in bed with her cell phone. Afterward, Nikki felt guilty, but Victor told her that they belonged together. Later Victor told Diane he was getting an annulment. After Victor walked out to go for a horseback ride, Diane smashed the blue and white plate which had been the center of the décor at the ranch forever. Later Michael brought the annulment papers for Diane to sign, giving her a larger settlement than stated in the pre-nup. Nikki stopped drinking again, and was attending AA meetings where she would run into Deacon. When Victor caught Nikki merely having dinner with Deacon, he threw a fit at her and tore up the annulment papers.

After repeated attempts to talk her mother out of marrying Tucker, the day before their wedding, Abby got drunk and trashed the park which was decorated for the wedding before passing out in a fountain. Awakened by a cop, Abby was arrested for vandalism. Victor and Ashley met Abby at the jail, and vowed to let her sit there as a lesson, but Tucker talked her into behaving herself, and she was released. Later a rehearsal dinner was held at Gloworm, where Abby played nice to Tucker's face, but was hatching a plot to expose him as a philanderer to her mother. She sent a text message to Diane from Tucker's phone to meet him at the Abbott cabin, and one to Tucker from Malcolm's phone to meet him there for his bachelor party. After the dinner, Abby, instead of driving her mother home, drove her toward the Abbott cabin. When Ashley realized how drunk Abby was, she attempted to get her to stop the car, but in their struggle, Abby stepped on the accelerator just as Tucker was walking across the road, and was struck by the car. Diane was behind them in her car and was first on the scene to tell the police what she saw – an apparently drunk driver who appeared to purposely run a man down. After the emergency workers pulled Ashley and Abby from the wreckage, Ashley told them that she was driving to protect Abby.

Tucker's condition was critical. With a fractured skull and subdural hematoma, Kay gave permission for surgery to relieve pressure on the brain. Afterward, the doctor reported that they had found another bruise on the brain which caused a coma from which Tucker might not survive. Meanwhile Diane admitted to the detective that she was meeting Tucker, and that Ashley may have found out, so hitting Tucker may not have been accidental. Victor threatened the detective to take no further action, and confronted Diane, calling her a slut and telling her that there would be an annulment with no big settlement. Tucker's attorney, Nelson McGinnis, was called in to announce that Tucker had a living will stating that no extraordinary measures were to be taken to save his life. Kay refused to allow it, but following his instructions, the doctors took him off the ventilator, expecting him to die. But Katherine made Tucker breathe by shear willpower. Abby recovered and admitted to Ashley that she had set up Tucker and Diane to show Ashley that he was not worthy of her. Meanwhile Nelson called a meeting to announce that Tucker had named Katherine to take over the company if he were to become incapacitated, and that Tucker had a son whom he had never been able to locate. Katherine took over, and she began to foil Tucker's plans to buy up Newman stock once it went public and hired Paul to search for Tucker's son. After Ashley was arrested for the attempted murder of Tucker, Kay got a restraining order to keep her away from him, and fired Ashley from Jabot to protect the company. Realizing that she had been the driver, Abby felt so guilty that she tried to confess, but was not believed. Then she went to Victor and offered to give him back her settlement money, hoping it would atone for all the havoc she had caused.

When Victor discovered that Diane had made plans for a liaison with Tucker the night before Tucker was marrying Ashley, Victor called her a tramp and said the annulment would no longer make her a rich woman. In fact, their not having been married for a year, invalidated the pre-nup and Diane would get nothing. Victor took back all the gifts he had given Diane, including her engagement ring, presented her with her packed bags, and threw her out. Diane got Jack to take Kyle, and jobless again with nowhere else to go, Diane took Adam up on his offer to be his roommate, knowing it would further infuriate Victor. Before Adam was even aware, Victor had Michael get a court order to keep Adam and Diane from crossing Victor's property to get to Adam's, so they moved to the Athletic Club.

It was Nikki's fifty-first birthday, and an argument with Victor caused her to get very drunk, to go to the AA meeting and tell off Deacon and everyone there. Deacon asked Victor to help her, so Victor tracked Nikki down, apologized, and told her he wanted to help, and that he would stand by her. They went together to her birthday party at Victoria's and told everyone that Nikki was going back to rehab, then jetted off together to a rehab facility in Connecticut.

Victor offered Katherine an irresistible sum of money for Jabot. As she was thinking it over, Jack presented Katherine with a new marketing plan, logo, and a new skin care product made from cactus pectin which had been developed by Ashley. Jack had lined up department stores and a home shopping network to sign on only if Jack were appointed CEO of Jabot. Jack promised Katherine that they could put Jabot back on top again, and reminded her that selling to Victor would lose all that. Meanwhile Victor approached Lauren about his new plans for Jabot along side Beauty of Nature, offered to make her a partner, giving Fenmore exclusive rights to sell it, and asked her to join the Newman board of directors.

Katherine was pleading with a comatose Tucker to help her decide what to do, when she was visited by the presence her deceased friend John Abbott who gave her counsel. Jack walked in, having just been counseled by John as well about his obsession to return Jabot to the Abbotts. Jack had admitted to John that his obsession with Jabot was caused by feeling that he had failed his father. John assured him that it had just been a mistake and that Jack should forgive himself, as John had. John reminded Jack that John's goal in life was not about Jabot, but "for his kids to be happy". Jack told Katherine to go ahead and take Victor's offer if she felt it was one she couldn't pass up, and that he knew that she would do what was best for Jabot, and that their friendship was more important.

Adam plotted with Diane to keep Victor busy on the day that Newman stock went public while Adam told the world that Victor was dead, so that he could buy shares when the prices fell. Then when Victor let them know he was alive, the stock would rise and Adam would sell and be rich. At the last minute, Diane let Jack in on the plan, so he was poised to do the same. Diane went to the ranch, told Victor that she was pregnant by him, and he demanded a paternity test. As she was about to leave, she faked severe pains, and begged him to accompany her to the hospital in the ambulance. They left after Diane disabled Victor's cell phone. As Victor held Diane's hand in the ambulance, Adam began to execute the plan. Michael heard the newsflash that Victor had had a stroke and died. He tried to phone Victor, but got no answer. Adam in his hotel room and Jack at Gloworm with his laptop each gave the order to buy as soon as the stock price began to fall. Genevieve Atkinson joined Jack and marveling at his stock market skills, slyly accused him of having insider information. After the market closed, Adam, Jack, and Diane met for a champagne celebration of their profits. Victor showed up and told them they would never get away with it.

Later after reviewing the facts with Victor, Gus, who was a former Newman legal advisor before working with the F.C.C., determined that stock manipulation could not be proven against Adam, but possibly could be against Diane. After Adam paid Diane off in cash and revealed the trouble that she was in, Diane prepared to leave town, but was caught by Gus who told her that she would be arrested if she tried. Victor filed a lawsuit charging Jack, Adam, and Diane with stock fraud and personally handed each their grand jury summons. But Victor later made a deal with Diane to change her testimony to say that Ashley did not deliberately running down Tucker in exchange for the S.E.C. focusing on Jack and Adam. Diane carried out her part of the bargain, but Victor was unable to keep his. Furious with Adam and Victor for taking advantage of her again, Diane made deal with the D.A. to tell all she knew on Adam and Jack in exchange for immunity.

Victor forgave Victoria for the lawsuit and convinced her to return to Newman as COO and as a board member to keep her from dwelling on the loss of Reed and Lucy.

Adam discovered that Diane had met with the D.A., and he confronted her, but she denied that she had made a deal. Adam disclosed his plan to frame Victor for Diane's murder which he promised would land Victor in jail, leave them both very rich, and Diane in another country with a new identity. Although Diane proclaimed it risky, she agreed to the plan. After Adam left, Diane called the D.A. and confirmed their agreement to convict Adam. Adam was later served with a grand jury indictment for stock manipulation and fraud, and his computer and files were seized. Victor removed Adam from the Newman board due to the disgrace he had brought to the company.

As part of Adam's plot, Diane told Victor that she was turning state's evidence against Adam, so had to disappear and could not take Kyle. Then she convinced Victor to sign papers to become Kyle's legal guardian. Adam gave Diane cash and forged identity papers in the names of Jennifer and Timothy Bilton. Diane sent Kyle to boarding school in Switzerland as Timothy, telling him not to contact anyone, and that she would be joining him soon.

Victor confronted Diane when he found out that she had filed an alienation of affection lawsuit against Nikki for causing the demise of her marriage to Victor. Diane showed him the photos she had of them having sex while he was married to Diane, and the video of Abby's confession to running over Tucker, and demanded a payoff from Victor. Diane screamed at Victor not to hurt her and caused a scene hoping to be overheard, then called the police and had him arrested. While Victor was being arraigned, Victoria paid Diane a visit and threatened that the Newman family would make sure that Diane got what she deserved. Meanwhile Nikki disappeared from rehab after discovering Diane's photo of Victor and Nikki in bed on the front of a tabloid with the headline "Once a Stripper, Always a Slut".

Adam offered to continue with the frame up of Victor if Diane would recant everything she had told the D.A. Diane agreed and wrote it up. After Diane received a message that the funds from Adam had been deposited in her Swiss bank account, she sent a text message to everyone who had threatened her to meet her at the footbridge in the park. The next morning, viewers saw those same people looking suspiciously like they had just killed someone. Meanwhile Diane's body floated face down in the stream in the park. Murphy went there to fish, discovered the dead body, and called the police. The autopsy results were that Diane had been hit over the head ten times with a blunt object, an impression of a Harvard ring was found on Diane's arm, and a small key was found in Diane's mouth.

One by one, the suspects who had received Diane's text were questioned by newly rehired detective Ronan Malloy. Adam said nothing but recalled meeting Diane at the stream, and how they had set up the scene to frame Victor, emptying the contents of Diane's purse, creating drag marks, putting her blood on a rock, and placing Victor's stolen watch under it. Diane told Adam she didn’t trust him and had taken precautions; that Gingerman, the man who photographed the ambulance leaving the ranch, would be naming Adam as his source for the "Victor stroke story" if she did not make it safely to Switzerland. Ronan showed Adam Diane's exoneration letter that they had found with Diane's purse. When Jack was questioned, he tipped Ronan to suspect Victor.

Victor told Ronan he did not respond to Diane's text, but recalled to himself how they had met at the stream, and Diane had convinced him that Adam was setting him up for her murder by showing him that Adam had planted Victor's watch under a blood-covered rock. Diane narrating "from the grave," told how she asked Victor to help her, and when he refused, she attacked him. And how Victoria watched from the shadows as Victor raised the rock as if to strike Diane with it. Later Victor ran into Adam at the Athletic Club bar and presented Adam with the watch. Victor told Adam that he was going to use it to prove that Adam murdered Diane, and that try as he might, Adam would never outsmart him. Later Victor recalled seeing Diane floating in the stream.

Kyle phoned Jack but hung up, so Victor, Michael, Paul, and the police cooperated to help locate him. He was finally identified by tracking children who traveled alone, and Jack went to Switzerland, told him of his mother's death, and brought him home. Jack was livid when immediately upon their arrival, Victor handed him papers giving him guardianship. Jack tore up the papers and vowed to fight it.

Ronan questioned Victor about the guardianship papers which could have been a motive if he felt that Diane had double-crossed him by sending Kyle to Switzerland. Victor responded by giving Ronan his watch asserting that Adam had stolen it to frame him. Since Adam was the prime suspect, Ronan said he would be happy to check it for Adam's prints.

Footprints at the scene matched a pair of shoes that Victor had recently bought. Ronan showed Victor a photo of Victor wearing them hours before the murder. The key found in Diane's mouth unlocked an abandoned lockbox in the athletic club safe which had been Diane's. It contained her diary, and on July twenty-fifth, there was an entry saying that if anything happened to her it would be done by Victor or Adam, and five pages were missing from the days just before her death.

Billy's daughter, Delia, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, and needed a bone marrow transplant to recover. Everyone in Genoa City was tested with no matches, and Victoria and Jack were intent on finding Billy to help, hoping that he could save Delia's life. Hearing that Billy had left Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia, Jack went to find him. Meanwhile, Victor had found Billy in a jail cell in Myanmar, and offered Billy a deal to negotiate his freedom if Billy promised to never see Victoria again. Billy told Victor to go to hell. Victor got Billy to agree by telling him about Delia's condition, and that Billy might save his daughter's life if he were a match. Victor returned Billy home to his trailer and coerced Kevin to agree to pose as the donor of Billy's blood sample which proved to be a match for Delia. So Victor arranged, with Michael's help, for a doctor to harvest the bone marrow from Billy and lead everyone to believe it was Kevin's.

Victor's shoes were found at a Goodwill store outside of Racine, and a donation receipt was found in his closet. Ronan brought Victor in, but Victor claimed he had been set up by Adam. Leaving Adam and Victor alone in his bugged office, after each accused the other of the murder, Ronan overheard Adam admit that he had talked to Diane at footbridge but she had not yet spoken to Victor, so Victor had to have talked to Diane later on the night she died about Adam setting him up. Adam left the police station and spoke to an unseen person at a warehouse, and accused them of writing Diane's "bogus" diary.

Meanwhile, Victoria continued to believe in Billy, and emailed him that she loved him and would forgive him if he would just come home. Billy received Victoria's emails on his laptop at his trailer, and wanted to go home to Victoria, but Victor kept him in hiding by threatening to reveal Billy's crime that had gotten him thrown into prison. Victor planted the seed in Billy's mind that Victoria was moving on with Sam. Billy went to see her, arriving just after Victoria had injured her ankle, and witnessed Sam carry her upstairs. Billy poured out the booze that Victor brought to him, and told Victor that Delia needed him, so he wanted to keep himself the best that he could be to save her life. The transplant was successful, Delia was expected to make a full recovery, and Victor arranged for Billy to be gone from their lives for good. Meanwhile circumstances kept happening which kept Victoria from signing the divorce papers that she had Michael draw up. When the time came to leave, Billy refused to go until Victor showed him a damning video. Billy led Victor to believe that he had left town, but instead he holed up in a room and convinced Cane to help him clear his name so that Billy could get his life back.

One evening, a text message was sent from Ronan's missing cell phone to all the Diane Jenkins murder suspects except Adam, telling them to meet him at a warehouse. The suspects gathered and the surveillance tape of everyone's encounter with Diane in the park began to play, revealing everyone's secrets from that fateful night. They hid the tape before Ronan arrived. Adam arrived at a pumpkin patch and surmised that Patty Williams had summoned him. Meanwhile, Genevieve's housekeeper, Myrna Murdock, who had been badly burned when Genevieve's house exploded, lay in the hospital covered in bandages except for a cat tattoo; the same tattoo as Patty Williams. Patty had apparently been posing as Myrna, had been tormenting the suspects with information she had gleaned from the stolen park surveillance tapes, and the explosion at the mansion had kept her from joining them at the warehouse.

To help with Sharon's murder trial, Victor offered to testify that he had helped Skye fake her death and secluded her in Hawaii, knowing that he could face charges himself as a result. But Phyllis and Ronan found the missing memory chip, and after hearing the audio of Sharon trying to save Skye, Heather dropped the charges against Sharon, and Sharon was freed with time-served for the escape. Victor warned Adam to stay away from Sharon. Noah took Sharon home, Nick brought over Faith and left, and Victor had dinner with them. Sharon told Adam she would never forgive him for withholding evidence that kept her in jail for months, and despite Adams plea that they would never be over each other, Sharon told Adam that she never wanted to see him again. Victor let Sharon take his jet to take Faith and surprise Sam in New Mexico. Victor shocked Adam by asking him to come back to work for Newman. Adam was suspicious, but accepted so long as he could get an equal role to Victoria, then taunted Victoria that he was back working at Newman. Victoria complained to Victor, then returned to tell Adam that she would be watching every move, and would get him fired. Afterward, Victor smiled and said that Adam "fell for it."

Billy convinced Kevin to help him hack into Victor's computer, they retrieved the photo of Chelsea, and sent it to Cane to track her down. Chloe called Kevin to let him know that Delia was in remission, and Kevin shared the good news with Billy. After Kevin had left, Victor tracked Billy to his hiding place and informed him he would personally see to it that Billy left for good this time. Meanwhile in Myanmar, Cane was asking a bartender about Chelsea, and later received the photo which was of the bartender. Victoria became convinced that Billy was in trouble and unable to contact them, so she and Jill decided to go to Myanmar and find him themselves. Inquiries and bribes at the American consulate disclosed that Billy had been imprisoned for illegal drug trafficking, but was there no longer. Then a guy at a bar told them that Billy was in hiding, to follow him to the dock in back, where he attempted to abduct them, but they were rescued by Cane. Cane told Jill and Victoria that he had followed them there, and they boarded a plane back to the U.S. together. Victoria got bumped from her connecting flight from New York City, and Cane and Jill went on ahead. Cane assured Jill that Billy was alive and well.

Meanwhile, Billy befriended Tank, the guy that Victor was paying to accompany Billy and make sure he stayed at a monastery in New Deli, India. They got as far as New York City, where Billy convinced Tank to let him go. Victoria and Billy found themselves waiting in the same airport bar. Victoria spotted him and hugged and kissed him, excited that he was alive, and asking where he had been since his release. Billy told her that he was setup in Myanmar, and admitted that it took him awhile, but that all he wanted was to come home to her and Delia. Victoria said that he never should have left, and Billy admitted that he didn't feel worthy of her or Delia. With all flights grounded, they found themselves in a hotel with adjoining rooms. Unable to stand it any longer, they each opened the doors between them, embraced, and ended up making love. Billy admitted that he had been the Santa who had kissed her, and had donated the bone marrow that had saved Delia's life; and told her about the deal he had made with the devil - Victor. Meanwhile Kevin was admitting the same to Chloe.

Flying home together, Billy anticipated seeing his daughter while Victoria was readying herself to give her father hell. Billy tried to confess to about the girl in Myanmar, but Victoria told him that it if he truly wanted to be with her, they could get past it. Fearing it would only renew Victor's vendetta against him, Billy tried to convince Victoria not to cut ties with Victor again. Billy and Victoria arrived at the Chancellor estate just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone was overjoyed to see him, as Billy picked up and hugged his daughter Delia, then turned around to find Victor there as a guest. After Victor hastily excused himself, Billy told everyone that he had been setup and imprisoned in Myanmar, then had trouble getting back, leaving out what Victor had done. Later, Victoria confronted Victor who claimed that keeping Billy from her was for her own good, and that perhaps she should ask Billy what he had done in Myanmar. Victoria told Victor that she had forgiven Billy, and that their love was something Victor would never understand, the way he had never forgiven Nikki or his children for anything. Victoria resigned from Newman and told Victor she was done with them both, for good.

After Adam discovered that Patty, as Myrna, had drugged Jack and Genevieve, Adam again told Patty to leave town or he was calling the police. With fingers crossed behind her back, Patty promised that she would on the grave of Mr. Kitty. Patty then went to Newman and planted a zippered case containing a syringe and a drug in Adam's desk, and tipped Ronan with an anonymous phone call that the murder weapon could be found at Newman. Not trusting Patty, Adam had followed her to Newman, found the case, and had put it in Victor's office safe. Ronan found the case, and as Victor was being taken to the police station, Nikki arrived home after her six months in rehab. Victor claimed that he had been set up. Ronan ordered Diane's body exhumed for another autopsy which showed succinylcholine, the drug found in the syringe, in her bone marrow. The drug causes short term paralysis, and was only available to someone with hospital pharmacy access.

Victor later arrived home to find Nikki there, and he asked her to stay at the ranch. When asked about her absence from rehab the night of the murder, Nikki said that she had lost her sobriety that night, but had returned the next day. She let Victor believe that she was "on the wagon", and he took her upstairs to make love. But Nikki was still drinking. Nikki went to an AA meeting where Deacon told her that he had seen her in the park the night of Diane's murder.

Under Victor's orders, Michael discovered that Nikki had stolen a credit card from another patient in rehab, reserved a rental car with it the night she disappeared, and used just enough mileage to go to and from Genoa City and Dubuque. After learning that and that Nikki had been called in for questioning in Diane's death, Victor began to suspect her. Deacon picked up Nikki from the police station, took her home and tried to reason with her, but Nikki took off for the barn with a bottle of vodka. When Victor arrived, Deacon warned him that she was drinking but was still somewhere on the grounds. Victor found Nikki in the barn, where she drunkenly confessed that she had killed Diane. Victor refused to believe her. Nikki said that she had been angry with Diane for the photos that she had published, and the alienation of affection lawsuit she had filed. Nikki confirmed that she had been in the park that night, saying that she had seen Victor and Victoria there, and each arguing with Diane. Nikki said that she had blacked out, but woke up lying in the park covered in blood next to a bloody rock. Victor promised her that he would make everything go away. Nikki then passed out, and Victor covered her with hay.

When Ronan showed up with a warrant for Nikki, Victor played drunk and confessed to the crime. When Adam arrived, Victor got Adam to say that he saw Victor murder Diane, and Victor was arrested. The D.A. was happy, but Ronan and Paul felt that it had been too easy; something was just not right. Victor called Paul to come to the jail, Paul offered to investigate, but instead Victor asked Paul to just look after Nikki. Sharon visited Victor, refused to believe that he was guilty and asked Avery to do some investigating. Sharon also attempted to get Adam to admit that he had setup Victor. Ronan interfered during Victor's arraignment claiming that Victor was not the murderer, which caused the judge to postpone and Ronan to be fired from the G.C.P.D. Afterward Victor's fingerprints suddenly were found on the syringe, and it was revealed to viewers that Victor had paid a police detective to bring him the case to him in jail to put them there. Ronan received an email that was meant to appear to be from Diane with a video showing Nikki passed out covered in blood, next to the bloody rock.

Jack visited Victor in jail and told him that he deserved to grow old in prison for killing Diane, and breaking Kyle's heart. Victor told Jack that while he regretted the affect on Kyle, he had a clear conscience.

With Victor in jail and Victoria's recent resignation, Nick agreed to head up Newman to keep Adam in line. Victor had given Adam his blessing to head Newman in exchange for his testimony, so Adam began trying to bribe board members to elect him CEO. And when Nick physically attacked Deacon in front of a board member for marrying his mother, it sealed Adam's election. Tucker McCall held the deciding vote, and although both men tried to persuade him to vote for them, Tucker went with the Harvard graduate, and Adam was elected.

Nikki was drinking heavily, staggering and falling down in public. Deacon kept rescuing her, and finally told her that he had witnessed Diane's murder. That he had seen Victor yell at Diane, and Victoria kill Diane with the rock due to nasty things that Diane had said about Nikki. He told her how Nikki had tried to save Diane, and had gotten covered in blood. Deacon promised Nikki that he wouldn't go to cops if Nikki would marry him. So Deacon took a drunken Nikki to Las Vegas and they were married. Deacon made sure it hit the tabloids, and Sharon had to break it to Victor. When they returned, Katherine offered Deacon twice what he would get out of Nikki to annul the marriage. Nikki tried to explain the marriage to Victor, but he dismissed her. From her actions, Nick and Victoria concluded that Nikki had killed Diane and Victor was sacrificing himself for her. When Victoria went to try to help Nikki, Nikki drunkenly told her not to worry, that she and Victor would protect Victoria for killing Diane. Shocked, Victoria swore that she had not killed Diane.

Although Michael and Sharon tried to talk Victor into stopping what he was doing, and Avery tried to find more evidence, Victor's arraignment was rescheduled. But as the judge accepted Victor's guilty plea and had sentenced him to 25 years to life, a drunken Nikki broke into the court room and confessed. Nikki was cited for contempt, arrested, and thrown in jail, and Victor was taken to prison. Victor offered to ship Deacon out of town, but Nikki wanted to deal with Deacon herself. After discovering that Deacon was tending bar at Gloworm the night of the murder, Nikki called Deacon a liar, gave him a piece of her mind, and offered him a payoff to get an annulment which he refused.

On Christmas Eve, Sharon brought Victor a bag of books at prison, and finally cheered him up. They shared stories of unhappy Christmas pasts when they were children, and how that all changed with the Newman Christmases. Sharon began reading "A Christmas Carol" to Victor. Later, after Victoria and Billy's Christmas Eve wedding, Nikki visited Victor in prison and let him know that his daughter was happy again. Victor grumbled a response, and told her to leave. Refusing to be dismissed, Nikki told him that she loved him, that she knew that he didn’t kill Diane and neither did she, and that she was going to find out who did and get him out of there. The next day, Nikki showed up at Gloworm, and told Deacon that she had changed her mind, and wanted to stay married, secretly hoping to find out what really happened the night of Diane's murder to free Victor. Nikki began faking being drunk and paying bartenders to give her non-alcoholic drinks while she plied Deacon with affection for information about the night of Diane's murder.

Adam's first act was to fire Michael as lead counsel, promising to hire Vance Abrams in his place. But Victor assured Michael that it was all part of Victor's plan. Michael continued to be Victor's personal attorney.

On New Year's Eve 2011, Sharon visited Victor at the prison, and Victor asked Sharon to marry him, giving her a ring that Michael had hidden under the visitor's counter. Meanwhile, Deacon was getting suspicious, but he gave Nikki enough information that she excitedly went to Victor to let him know what she was doing to set him free. But Nikki walked in the visitor's room just as Victor had given Sharon the engagement ring. Nikki saw the ring and accused Sharon of gold-digging by manipulating Victor into marriage. Victor assured Nikki that it had been his idea, and that he wanted Sharon because she was young and beautiful. Nikki left in tears after telling them that they both destroy the people who love them, and deserved to be together. Nikki went to Katherine's for solace, but still refused to divulge what she was up to, only saying that she had been a fool to let Victor hurt her once again. Meanwhile, Victor sat alone thinking back to the first New Year's Eve he and Nikki had shared, mumbling to himself that he was still there for her, and always would be. Word spread of the potential engagement, with everyone coming down on Victor and Sharon, and Nick took back Faith from Sharon. After confronting Victor about his impending marriage to his former wife, Sharon, Nick quit his job at Newman. Nick approached Tucker about working for McCall, and Tucker hired him.

Victor called in a favor from a judge for an emergency hearing for Faith's custody, and even though her instability was demonstrated by her engagement to her children's grandfather, she was awarded joint custody. Nick assured Sharon of selling herself to Victor to get control of Faith. Afterward Adam approached her, expecting that now they could reunite, but instead Sharon had Adam arrested for violating the restraining order. Sharon agreed to marry Victor the next day. After Nikki brought Victor proof that Deacon had most likely killed Diane, he began reconsidering the marriage, but went through with it after all.

Adam decided to sell Beauty of Nature and proposed a deal to Tucker to help him outbid Jack in exchange for a job at McCall. Then Jack offered to top any offer, with the bonus of giving Adam the satisfaction of allowing both of them to get back at Victor. As Victor's new wife and under his instruction, Sharon cast the deciding board vote to allow Beauty of Nature to be sold. It turned out that Tucker had made a deal with the SEC, to avenge the things that Adam had done to Ashley in the past. Tucker was helping Victor set up Adam to be caught guilty of insider trading by the SEC as Adam was to call Tucker with the amount of the high bid, for Tucker to outbid and win. But Sharon discovered what was going on, and that Victor was only using her. Torn between her loyalty to both, she finally decided that she was sick of all the manipulation, and Sharon warned Adam that he was being set up. They made love under the glare of Victor's portrait in his office, while Adam told Sharon how much he loved her and thanked her for saving him once again. Meanwhile Victor, was released from prison when evidence showed that Nikki had hit Diane over the head with a rock in self defense. Victor summoned Nikki to the ranch, told her he loved her, and took a very confused Nikki upstairs, where they made love. The next morning, Michael told Victor that Adam had escaped the setup, and that Victor had lost Beauty of Nature. When the bids were opened, Jack's fiancée, Genevieve under the name of FMN holding company, emerged as the new owner of Beauty of Nature. When Adam refused to sign Victor's proffered letter of resignation, Victor assigned him to an office in the men's restroom.

Ronan subpoenaed all of the Diane Jenkins murder suspects, and he and the DA questioned them about the evidence that still did not add up. Deacon arrived in handcuffs saying that Diane had come to him when no one would help her, wanting to back out of framing Victor with Adam because of Kyle, so she asked him to videotape that night in the park. Deacon admitted that after he witnessed Nikki kill Diane in self-defense, he had hit her more times to make it look like someone bigger and stronger than Nikki had killed her, and he was the one who put Diane's body in the creek. Deacon said he had taken the syringe, Ashley's cell phone, and the security camera from the tree, and had hidden them in the alley behind Gloworm, but they had disappeared later. When no one would confess to taking Deacon's stash of stolen evidence or having any knowledge of the embroidered pillows found in Diane's room, the DA arrested them all for obstruction of justice.

At Genevieve's invitation, Paul went to her mansion to interview Myrna about the strange goings-on there. But Patty heard him arrive and grabbed a bag and disappeared to her old hideout, the Newman potting shed. Paul searched Myrna's room for clues to why she had left, and took her computer. Later Paul found a photo from the park surveillance camera on it. Paul started putting the clues together and realized that his sister Patty may have been posing as Myrna. Then Deacon identified Patty's photo as being the person who was there in the park helping him clean up after Diane's death.

While Jack continued to prepare for his wedding, Adam found Patty hiding in the Newman potting shed, and tried to stop her from going to the wedding to shoot Genevieve. Patty threw insecticide in Adams's face burning his eyes and blinding him again, then clubbed him over the head with a board. Sharon later found Adam, called the police and they got him to the hospital.

Meanwhile Cane confronted Genevieve, saying that he was ashamed of her that she had bought Beauty of Nature but had not told Jack before their marriage, and Cane told her he was no longer her son. Nikki found out that Genevieve was the buyer from Victor and congratulated Jack on his marriage and craftily getting Beauty of Nature through Genevieve. Nikki left Jack shocked and broken-hearted, but he went on to the church.

Patty sneaked in at Genevieve's and overheard her reading a note to Jack backing out of the wedding. Patty intercepted the note, and walked down the aisle in Genevieve's stolen wedding gown. Jack pulled the veil from her face, ready to confront Genevieve, and said, "Emily?" Patty replied, "It's Patty, you bastard," and shot Jack. Patty left as the horrified Abbotts rushed to Jack. Jack was taken away by ambulance in critical condition.

Eager reporter, Ricky Williams, found out what his aunt Patty had done and went to his uncle Father Todd's church, because Patty always went to Todd when she was on the run. Patty was already holed up in the church bell tower, and Ricky found her there, regressed to a childlike state. Ricky's probing made Patty mad, but not before she disclosed that Adam been the one who helped her escape the mental institution years before. Ronan and Paul arrived, and Paul and Todd talked Patty into giving herself up.

Meanwhile the doctors told the Abbotts that Jack had a lacerated kidney, and the bullet was lodged next to his lower spine as he was taken into surgery. Nikki stood vigil with the Abbotts during Jack's surgery, feeling bad for taking him for granted after all the years they had spent together, and remembering how he was there for her when they lost their child. Jack's heart stopped during surgery, he survived, but was left paralyzed, just as he had been when Patty had shot him before in 1983.

Sharon sat at Adam's beside in the hospital where he lay still blinded, and promised not to leave his side. Adam said that he had finally gotten his much deserved karma, and promised to change and make amends if he could only regain his sight. Sharon begged Victor to be there for his son, and Victor refused, but secretly called in a specialist to help. Adam's retinal implant specialist was flown in, but both doctors gave little hope that Adam would ever see again. After hearing the news, Victor took Sharon aside and offered Hope's farm in Kansas, which he still owned, for her and Adam to get away. Sharon told Adam that she had rented it from the new owner, and persuaded him to go there to recover and get away from everyone who hated him.

At the police station Patty admitted to making the pillows for each person who had been in the park, and Paul and Father Todd helped them get her into a cell. Emily arrived and then Genevieve, but Patty didn't seem to recognize them. All charges were dropped against all suspects, including Nikki, once Ronan was able to convince the D.A. that Nikki was not responsible. Deacon remained in jail. Patty was sent to a maximum security prison hospital. Victor invited Nikki to move back to the ranch with him, and she did.

The next day Genevieve went to see Jack in the hospital, tried to explain how she needed a chance to feel powerful and independent by owning Jabot, and apologized for deceiving him, but Jack rejected her and sent her away in tears. Victor later tried to buy Beauty of Nature back, but Genevieve refused.

Victor began romancing Nikki again. Nikki trusted Victor, even when he claimed that he had nothing to do with Chelsea and her mother Anita showing up in town after Chelsea and Billy had had a one night stand in Myanmar leaving Chelsea pregnant. But when Nikki found Anita's missing earring on the living room floor at the ranch, Nikki confronted Anita. Anita and Chelsea later admitted to Billy and Victoria that Victor had been behind it all, that they had met him in Myanmar after he got Billy out of prison, and that Chelsea had contacted Victor when she discovered that she was pregnant.

Hearing that Genevieve was in Paris for her son Cane's wedding, Victor showed up, and tried again to woo her into selling him back Beauty of Nature. Victor offered Genevieve to become his right hand and teach her everything she needed to know to run Beauty of Nature. Meanwhile Jack filed a lawsuit to get Beauty of Nature from Genevieve because she had prior knowledge of his bid which had assured her of the win.

When Victor returned from Paris, Nikki confronted him about Anita. Victor admitted he had brought them to town, but said it was immaterial. Victor felt that he was justified in meddling in Victoria's marriage, and compared it to Nikki marrying Deacon to protect him and Victoria. Nikki left, saying it does no good to be angry at Victor, that he is who he is, and is never going to change. Victor exclaimed, "But we love each other!" Nikki shot back, "I am who I am, and am not going to change either." But later they appeared to reconcile as Nikki made Victor promise never to lie to her again, and she said she would not either. Nikki stayed on at the ranch, but as she confided to Katherine, all they did was argue.

After Genevieve hired Victoria to become CEO of Beauty of Nature, Victor offered Sharon a job at Newman developing a new organic cosmetic line. Sharon turned it down because she felt that it was not a good idea working with Nick, but Victor talked her into it. When Victor told Nick that they would be working together, Nick refused, saying he was not interested in going to war with his sister. Nick told Sharon that Newman was lucky to have her, to go ahead and take the job, but without him because he didn't want to ruin what he and Phyllis had again. But when the new line and Sharon's position came before the Newman board, the board saw no reason to restart something they had just sold, and nixed Sharon due to her scandalous reputation and lack of experience. Adam arrived late and gave insightful reasons for starting the new line, but the only way to keep the board from giving the line to Adam was for Nick to step in and offer to work with Sharon. Just prior to the meeting, Genevieve had gone to Victor for advice on handling Mitsukoshi and Jabot, but he refused. Discovering that Victor needed support for a Newman board vote, Genevieve made a deal to influence board member Davis Holloway, who worked for her holding company, FNM, in exchange for the information she sought. Thanks to Adam's vote and Genevieve's board member manipulation, the line was approved and Sharon was put in charge. Victoria later warned Genevieve not to trust anything Victor told her. Afterward, Victor brought Sharon to his family birthday party, Genevieve interrupted with a present, both upsetting Nikki. Genevieve then flew to Japan where she was later met by Victor.

During their meeting in Japan, Genevieve searched Victor's briefcase while he had stepped out, and she found a business card for Kaito Yoshida of Oshiro Holdings. Believing she had discovered Victor's contact in Japan, she called to meet him. Jill and Cane were there to meet with the same man, supposedly a Mitsukoshi major stockholder. But Jack called and tipped them that the man was actually the U.S. government agent who had investigated Newman and caught them making bribes. They did not show up for the meeting, but when Cane spotted Genevieve with the man, he interrupted them and got Genevieve out of there before she could be tricked into making a bribe. Nick and Sharon arrived, and Sharon met with Mr. Mitsukoshi himself and secured the exclusive rights for Newman because of their prior relationship when she had been the Beauty of Nature spokesperson. Eventually it became clear to Genevieve that Victor had set her up. She gave up, telling Victor she was considering selling Beauty of Nature back to him. But she was later served with papers of Jack's lawsuit to invalidate the sale to her.

When Victor and Nikki found out that Jack and Genevieve were going to marry in Las Vegas, they each followed them there to try to talk them out of it. Victor offered Genevieve CEO of Beauty of Nature if she sold to him and didn't marry Jack, but she refused. Because Nikki had overheard Victor admit to Chelsea that he had paid her to setup Billy in Myanmar, running into Victor, Nikki confronted him saying that although she still loved him, his choices of anger and self-righteousness over family were something she could not tolerate, and that they were through. Meanwhile Jack changed his mind about tricking Genevieve to get Beauty of Nature after seeing how much she genuinely loved him. Jack joined Nikki in her room, and they ended up making love. Genevieve put on her gold wedding dress and went to Victor's room with a bottle of champagne, she signed the agreement, and they ended up making love as well.

Jack and Nikki were invited to a family party at Victoria and Billy's to welcome Johnny home. Victor and Genevieve crashed the party and announced their Beauty of Nature deal and that they were now a couple. Nikki put her hand on Jack's shoulder and let him know that she had moved on as well. Genevieve excused herself, leaving Victoria to confront Victor about his setting up Billy in Myanmar. Victoria accused Victor that if not for Delia's illness, Billy may have died in prison there, then told him to leave and never return. Later Victoria admitted to Billy that if not for Victor's machinations, they actually may never have gotten Johnny, and Billy agreed that it had all been worthwhile. Reed arrived to meet his new baby brother Johnny. Nikki moved her things out of the ranch and into Victoria's. Later softening toward the baby, Victor ended up setting up a trust for Johnny Abbott, stipulating that Billy was never to have access.

The SEC began an investigation of the Beauty of Nature sale, and Victor gave Michael instructions to handle it. But when Lauren was arrested, Michael went to Lauren's rescue, forgetting the note with the SEC contact that he was supposed to see to help Victor. By the time Michael remembered Victor, it was too late and Victor fired him for causing the loss of millions of dollars. Avery went to work for Victor instead.

Victor was without Nikki and Sharon was without Nick, so Sharon and Victor were drawn together again. Encouraged to reconcile with Nikki by Katherine before she and Jack got serious, Victor overheard Jack propose to Nikki, but left assuming that she had said yes. But Nikki had responded that she needed time to think about it. Later Nikki went to see Victor, and caught him and Sharon enjoying a romantic evening, so she left. Nikki went to Abbott manor and accepted Jack's proposal.

Victor was notified that the Department of Justice was investigating Genevieve for illegal activities, so Victor made a deal with her to keep her out of prison, if she would help him to keep Beauty of Nature. Then a judge ruled that Adam's sale of Beauty of Nature had been legal and ruled against Genevieve's motion to dismiss Jack's lawsuit, and Victor later lost Beauty of Nature to Jack when Jack won the lawsuit.

Victoria publicly shared her disgust to Victor and Sharon about their being together romantically, taunting Sharon that she was only Victor's "flavor of the week". In retaliation, Sharon privately told Victoria that she had slept with Billy the night before his marriage to Chloe. Victoria confronted Billy who convinced her that it was all part of his lurid past, and reminded her that he had changed. So Victoria called Victor and told him about his new girlfriend's indiscretion, and Victor asked Sharon to leave his home without explanation. But it wasn't long before they were reconciled and Victor asked Sharon to move into the main house with him. Sharon and Nikki wound up in a cat fight, and each had the other arrested for assault. Victor told Nikki to get out and never come back

Sharon was visibly upset when she heard that Adam and Chelsea were engaged. Adam took Chelsea to a bed and breakfast in his hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas, to elope. When Sharon found out, she took the next plane there too, telling Victor that she was going to New York City to talk to Noah about Victor's offer for her to move in with him. Instead, Sharon was at Hope's farm when Adam arrived alone. She told Adam that she still loved him, and tried to talk him into ditching Chelsea for her. Adam refused, saying that Chelsea was the only one who "got him", the hick from the farm. As an homage to Hope, Chelsea and Adam were married in Hope's kitchen the next day. Meanwhile Victor discovered Sharon's lie, tracked her down and berated her in Kansas. But he later forgave her, and Sharon moved into the guest room of the main house at the ranch.

As Nikki and Jack prepared for their wedding, Victor took Sharon to Las Vegas, and they were married on the jet. They showed up at Abbott Manor as Nikki was about to walk down the aisle, and told her of their wedding. Nikki said that they deserved each other and threw them out. With renewed assurance that she was doing the right thing, Nikki walked down the aisle on Nick's arm to the wedding guests waiting in their finery at the beautiful poolside setting. To Nikki's shock, Jack rose from his wheelchair to receive his bride. With Victoria as matron of honor and Billy best man, Nikki and Jack were married.

The same evening, Victor went horseback riding with Sharon, took off ahead of her, left horse in stables and disappeared. With Victor off again on one of his walk-abouts, Sharon had been abandoned on her wedding night and got drunk and caused a scene at Jack and Nikki's reception, and Nikki pushed her in the pool to sober her up. After discovering that Sharon was doing nothing to find Victor, Nikki notified the police, and Nikki and Buck the ranch hand searched the trails and found Victor's cell phone. Feeling vindictive, Nikki sent Sharon a text saying "Marriage was a mistake. It's over." Sharon became livid with Victor, and found the pre-nup she had signed. Good as it was for her, it stated that she got nothing if the marriage was brief, so she burned it and told Avery she knew nothing about a pre-nup. Viewers saw Victor wandering the docks at the port of Los Angeles.

Jack arranged a honeymoon surprise, but Nikki declined due to Victor's disappearance. Jack said that was unacceptable, so Nikki left Abbott manor, and she flew to Hope's farm in Kansas in search of Victor.

With Tucker's help behind the scenes, Sharon arrived at the emergency Newman Board meeting, and citing a pertinent court decision, used Victor's proxy rights to take over the company as CEO. Nick and Victoria were livid, but they attended the press conference with stoic faces as Sharon announced that she was now in charge. Sharon called off the search for Victor being conducted by Newman security, and Tucker hired Genevieve to find Victor. Meanwhile Tucker made more plans to take over Newman in Victor's absence, buying up stock at falling prices and continuing to set Sharon up to fail by suggesting she fire Nick, but she didn’t.

At an L.A. water front bar, Victor met Sister Celeste, a modern day blue jeans-wearing nun who worked at a mission in the area helping homeless people, and others in trouble. Victor told her his name was Christian. She let him stay at the shelter, and helped him get a jot at the bar. Genevieve tracked Victor to Las Vegas, heard that he had been gambling with longshoremen, and had asked them to take him to L.A. Genevieve found Victor, calling himself Christian, at a bar on the docks in L.A., but he obviously did not know her, and he acted disconnected and ill. Victor showed Genevieve the scar on his chest, assuming he was ill from some surgery. Genevieve, calling herself Jenny, told him that she was a retired nurse and that he had had a heart transplant, and needed his anti-rejection medication. Genevieve called Tucker, telling him that Victor had lost his memory, and got Tucker to send his medications. While Genevieve was gone, Billy walked in and Victor obviously didn't know him either, as they enjoyed a game of darts together. After she returned, and Victor had taken his medication and was feeling better, Billy took her aside, accused her of working for Tucker, and demanded to know what was going on. Victor admitted to Sister Celeste that he had no memory, but there was someone out there who cared about him. Sister Celeste told him she didn’t trust "Jenny", so Victor told "Jenny" to stay away from Sister Celeste. Meanwhile Billy hired Genevieve to keep an eye on Victor, and returned to Genoa City without telling Victoria that he had found her father.

Victor united the dock workers to fight for better working conditions after one of them got hurt on the job, was denied medical help, and fired. Afterward, Victor was beaten up, Genevieve splinted his hand, and he refused to leave town. But when Sister Celeste was nearly killed when a forklift fell, Victor decided to let everyone believe that he had backed down. Billy arrived again and gave Victor a cell phone to use if he got in trouble, and told him that being a journalist he could help him to expose the corruption on the docks. Victor arranged to meet an employee who was willing to talk about it, but it was a setup. When Billy heard that Nikki desperately needed to hear from Victor, he gave her the cell phone number. She called, and when Victor heard her voice, he responded, "Nikki?" just before an explosion rocked the dock area. Several workers were injured and Victor was declared dead. Billy returned to Genoa City and delivered the news during a news conference that Sharon had called. Meanwhile Sister Celeste had secreted Victor away at her place to convalesce from his injuries, and for his own protection, only told Genevieve that he was alive. Genevieve, who had been crying and blaming herself for his death, was shocked to see Victor alive, and even more so when he called her Genevieve.

As news of Victor's death spread, Newman stock plummeted, family members began to grieve, and Billy lied to Victoria that he hadn't found Victor until it was too late. Jack's stockbroker called the margin on his Newman stock which Jack could not cover after leveraging everything he owned. Tucker kept buying stock, expecting that he could get Sharon to step down, name him CEO, and Newman and its stock would then flourish. Jack approached Tucker to buy Beauty of Nature to bail himself out, and Tucker bought it. Sharon identified the burned body as Victor, although it wasn't him, convinced that Victor had set up his "death". The family was livid to discover that Sharon had sent the body to be cremated immediately. Tucker convinced Sharon to marry him and run Newman together.

Meanwhile in L.A. with Genevieve, Victor recalled a ranch and horses, and then remembered his real name. Victor returned to find Nikki weeping at his grave, and they reunited. Afterward, Victor walked in on the wedding of Sharon and Tucker, stopped it, and told her to get her things out of his house. Victor's friends and family were thrilled to see him, and he held a press conference to assure the world that he was alive and back as CEO and chairman of the board of Newman. Nikki and Victor spent the night together, as Sharon had moved back into her house on the ranch. Victor went to Victoria and thanked her for caring enough to take over Newman in his absence, and asked her to stay, on her own terms. He told Billy that because he had run into a burning building in an attempt to save Victor, he would never disclose Billy's part in keeping his whereabouts a secret. Victor arrived home to find that Sharon was suing him for abandonment, so he arranged for Avery to press charges against Sharon.

On Faith's birthday, Sharon was arrested for fraud, conspiracy, and giving false statements to the police. Victor confronted Sharon reminding her that she had destroyed the pre-nup, called off the search for him when he was missing, fired his employees, tried to injure him, his company, and his family. Sharon reminded him of "all that we meant to each other for 20 years, that she was the mother of his grandchildren." Victor replied, "I am through with you", and walked out. Realizing that Victor was about to propose, Nikki suggested they clean up their baggage first. Nikki met with Katherine, then Jack, and told them of her impending marriage. Avery produced a copy of the pre-nup and a statement from the witness that Sharon had signed it, and Victor filed for an annulment. Sharon was freed on bail, and offered a deal of a one-half million dollar fine and three-and-a-half years in prison. Sharon told Leslie to pursue the abandonment, that there would be no annulment, and that she would fight like hell to get what she deserved.

After Tucker told Jack and Genevieve to "give it their best shot", and Jack called the SEC and turned Tucker in, Tucker in turn, went to Victor and offered to give him Beauty of Nature in exchange for Sharon's freedom. After some thought, Victor accepted so long as Sharon would give him an immediate annulment and drop the abandonment lawsuit. After Sharon signed the contract, Victor discovered that, in his absence, Sharon had sold a number of his shares of Newman – enough that he was no longer the largest shareholder.

Victor asked Adam to help support him with Newman in voting his Newman shares. Adam was resentful, accusing Victor of only coming to him when he needed something, and Adam turned him down. After gaining Adam's share support and teaming up with Tucker, Jack took the opportunity for a hostile takeover of Newman Enterprises. Jack fired Victor, Nick and Victoria. Afterward Victor collapsed, Nikki found him, and he was hospitalized. That same evening the ranch house burned down beyond saving. Nick and Nikki watched it burn, and the next day Nikki and Victor visited the ruins and reminisced about the good times they shared there, calling it both tragic and liberating, their chance to start over. Victor said that he had to lose everything to realize what was really important – Nikki. He asked her to marry him for the last time – and forever. Victor later announced to the family that he and Nikki were getting married for the last time, they were rebuilding the ranch house, and he had decided not to fight for Newman, but to leave it up to his kids to do. Abby offered Jack $500 million to return the company to the Newmans, and Jack turned it down, but she became determined to get the company back for her dad. Nick disappointed Victor when he refused to fight. After Billy admitted that Restless Style was not doing well, and RSTV was tanking, Victoria encouraged Billy to agree to work with Jack at Newman, and work with her to get Newman back. So Billy accepted Jack's offer and became Victoria's spy. Victoria confided only in Victor and Nikki that Billy was on their side. Victor was less than confident in Billy. Victor visited Jack at his former office, and warned a smug Jack that his ambition would destroy him, that everyone he cares about had turned their backs on him, or shortly would. Afterward, he met Nikki for lunch and gave her an engagement ring. Later Jack discovered Billy's duplicity and fired him.

After Victoria was kidnapped because of yet another of Billy's old gambling debts, and she was rescued by Billy and Nick, Victor delivered Billy an ultimatum that he would tell Victoria that Billy had known where Victor was in Los Angeles and had chosen not to tell her, if Billy did not leave Victoria. When Billy refused to leave unless Victoria threw him out, Victor told Victoria the truth. Victoria shot back that Victor didn't bother to tell anyone the truth when he returned, so he had obviously been threatening Billy with the secret.

After failing to talk any of his other children into getting Newman back from Jack, Victor dropped the evidence that Jack was overdosing on pain killers on Adam's desk, and he encouraged Adam to take it to the board, and take over Newman. Adam told Jack about it instead.

Nikki surprised Victor with the redecorated penthouse and played the baby grand for him. They threw a cocktail party to celebrate their new home. Victor invited Adam as bait for Nick and Victoria to fight for Newman, while Victor needled him about Jack's incompetence. Victoria went alone, as Billy was not invited. Abby sent Carmine and paid for him to be Victor's bartender. Sharon arrived uninvited to confess and apologize. They gave her such a hard time that she freaked out, and Victor yelled at her to leave. Adam followed her, leaving Chelsea behind. After Carmine made nasty comments about Sharon, Noah slugged him, and Nick and Victor ushered him out

Victor gave Adam an ultimatum, to help him get Newman back, or Sharon and Adam would go to prison for arson and the cover-up. Later Victor told Nikki they would not pursue charges against Sharon. Victor was encouraged when Jack's drug abuse was leaked to the tabloids. But later when pushed by Victor, Adam said he would not help him. Victor warned Adam not to make an enemy of him.

Victor and Nikki chose Valentines Day 2013 for their wedding. For Christmas, Victor reconstructed their photo album which had been lost in the fire with copies from friends as his gift to Nikki. Nikki got the charred remains of Victor's mother's bible rebound and repaired for him. Victor also surprised Nikki with the blueprints for their new house at the ranch.

Adam warned Jack that his mass firings were going to be used against him, the pills were making bad decisions, and suggested Jack take time off and Adam would handle the company in his absence. Jack accused Adam of taking Victor's side, and fired Adam too. Adam went to Victor ready to cut the deal, but Victor told him it was too late.

On New Year's Eve, Jack picked up a young woman named Stephanie at the Athletic Club bar, and woke up the next morning on his couch, with her dead on the floor. Jack panicked and called Adam for help. Adam found ecstasy in her purse, determined that she was a prostitute, and that Jack had been setup by Victor to have the press show up as she left the house. Adam had Jack stage a heart attack and the press followed him to the hospital, while Adam got rid of the body. Jack agreed to go to rehab in exchange and begged Billy to run Newman with Adam in his absence.

Admitting that Victor had hired her, Victor's investigator identified the woman as Stephanie Gayle Wheeler, the drug addicted daughter of a congressman. Her body was later found in an alley, confirmed dead of an ecstasy overdose. Sure that she had died with Jack and that Adam had helped with the cover up, Victor got Jack's rehab contact numbers from Jack's assistant Mason, and convinced Victoria that it was time for them to make their move to retake Newman.

Jack returned from detox and felt compelled to confess to Michael the D.A. about his part in Stephanie's death. Remorseful about taking over Newman, alienating friends and family, and firing people, Jack admitted that he was not a man John Abbott would have been proud of. Jack told Phyllis, Billy and Adam that he was walking away from Newman, leaving Billy and Adam in charge as Co-CEO's, and returning as CEO of Jabot. The D.A.'s office decided that Jack was not responsible for Stephanie's death, and after speaking with Congressman Wheeler that he wanted it kept out of the press as well. Nikki was furious with Victor that he still intended to take advantage of Jack and expose him, and she warned him that his all-consuming need for control was going to kill him one day. After Victor left, promising her an around the world honeymoon ending on his yacht in the Mediterranean, Nikki made a mysterious phone call saying that she had been unable to break the news to Victor yet. She then postponed the wedding.

Adam attempted to come to an understanding with Victor, offering to make Victor CEO of Newman if they could be a real father and son. Victor told him not to bother, that he would never trust Adam, that he didn’t measure up and never would. Tearing up, Adam declared war, telling Victor to give it his best shot, because he had nothing to lose. Victor decided that he had to remove Sharon as the only person Adam had to lean on, and began coercing Mason into switching Sharon's medication with a placebo. But after Adam saw Mason plotting with Victor, Adam fired Mason from Newman and let Victor know that his plot had failed.

Congressman Wheeler told Victor that they could call things even if Victor could stop Avery from attempting to prove the innocence of a man convicted of murder who had served 12 years. If not, the world would know that Victor had sent his daughter to die with Jack, but Victor called his bluff, knowing that Wheeler didn't want his daughter's life as a prostitute and death made public. Victor had his investigator look into the case, and discovered that Wheeler had testified against the man who had killed one of his female campaign workers.

Nikki confided in Jack that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. When Nikki refused to tell Victor, Jack told him. When Nikki arrived home, Victor kissed her trembling hands and hugged her while teary-eyed, not saying a word. Nikki didn't want to admit it was true, and have their renewed happy lives turn into one of doctors and medications. Victor told her she was his world, and together they could handle anything. Afterward Nikki attacked Jack, asking how dare he tell Victor. Jack replied that she needed Victor. Together, Victor and Nikki told Victoria and Nick about her diagnosis, making them promise not to treat Nikki and differently. Later Victor was notified that the new ranch house would be finished in two weeks and insisted that Nikki marry him there soon afterward.

The ranch house finished, Nikki and Victor moved in, and invited the family over. Nikki played the piano. Nikki's doctor, Kurt Costner, stopped by the next day telling her and Victor that she had minimal nerve damage in the early stages of MS, and hoped she would go into remission on her own, to avoid stress, and stay in tune with her body. The wedding date was set and arrangements made, but Nikki passed out at the rehearsal dinner the night before, and ended up in the hospital. Trying to reassure her, Victor arranged daily unofficial weddings by Abby, Katherine, etc., until Nikki could be released and they could have the real thing.

Victor and Nikki were married, they claimed for the final time, at their new house on Newman ranch. Victoria was matron of honor, Nick best man, Faith flower girl, and Reed ring bearer. In attendance were Michael and Lauren, Abby with Alex Chavez, Billy, Neil, Summer, Noah, and Eric Forrester (who designed Nikki's gown). Nick's date, Avery, caught the bouquet. Katherine was not in attendance because she had forgotten about the wedding, and Ashley showed up at the reception. Later, Adam crashed the reception, toasted the bride and groom and Victor's rise to greatness, then alluded to something Victor did New Year's eve, before Billy ushered him out.

Meanwhile, a man named Bob who was hired by Wheeler to pose as a waiter, set a timer on an explosive device, and attempted to leave. Nick recognized and stopped him, he pulled a gun, and Billy jumped him. Victor walked into the room, Bob pointed the gun at Victor, Adam jumped between them and took the bullet for his father. Alex and Nick subdued Bob, and an ambulance was called. Everyone was ushered out of the house when gas was smelled, but Victor refused to leave Adam, and Nikki refused to leave Victor. Meanwhile Billy went to investigate. Billy shut off the gas, then discovered the explosive with its timer nearly run out. Holding his breath, Billy guessed and cut the red wire, and became the second hero of the day.

At Genoa City Memorial, Dr. Costner removed the bullet from Adam, finding bone fragments from a shattered rib which had damaged Adam's lungs. In the waiting room, Chelsea lit into Victor, reminding him that he and Adam had both grown up without their fathers, and how Adam was routinely shunned. Following surgery, only one person was allowed in to see Adam, and Chelsea magnanimously allowed it to be Sharon. Adam told Sharon to take charge of Newman for him, then went into a coma.

Bob was questioned by Paul and Alex about his relationship with prime suspect Congressman Wheeler, but Bob refused to talk. Paul told Alex to find out what Victor had on Wheeler, and later Alex spotted a photo of Wheeler's daughter, and recognized her as the prostitute who left with Jack on New Years Eve. After a failed attempt to kill Victor at his wedding to Nikki, it became apparent that Congressman Wheeler was behind it. So Jack and Victor decided they needed to work together to control the situation, and confronted Wheeler about putting a hit on Victor and killing Belinda Rogan. Wheeler told them they could not prove it. Paul and Alex had been listening from the next room and collected the DNA sample from Wheeler's coffee cup DNA to test to sample found on Belinda Rogan's body. Victor and Jack had to admit they made a good team when the results were mutually beneficial. Thanks to their help the D.A. decided not to prosecute Jack or Victor for obstruction in Stephanie's death, and Adam had not been implicated. Wheeler's DNA matched the sample, and he was arrested for her murder. Marcus made bail but was later arrested for hiring the hitman.

Adam awoke from his coma, and when Victor visited Adam, he thanked him and questioned Adam about why he did it. Adam tried to brush it off. Victor told Adam that he had proven himself to be a "hell of a businessman, and every bit a Newman as Nick, Victoria and Abby", and that he was sorry it took so long and a near death experience for him to realize it. Victor said sincerely, "You are my son. You grew up without a father, sorry about that." Victor offered to stop the war between them, and they shook hands. Adam offered to team up and work side by side at Newman, and Victor agreed, saying that together they would be a force to be reckoned with. Victor, declaring his penthouse to be worth three million dollars, bartered with Adam and sold it to him for 1.5 million in cash.

Victor announced their reunion to the family, asking Nick, Victoria, and Abby to return to the family business, but they declined. Nikki agreed to give Adam another chance, and he was invited to a family birthday dinner which was held for Nikki at On the Boulevard. Victoria surprised everyone by announcing that she was returning to work at Newman. She and Billy fought about it after they got home. The next day Victor discussed it with her, and she admitted that she was resentful of his faith in Adam who she was sure would only screw him over again. Victor felt insulted that she didn’t think he knew what he was doing, and told her that maybe she should just stay home and make a baby as planned. But Victoria showed up at Newman for work the next day, promising her father that she would not try to undermine Adam, and that she would be a great mother, wife, and executive. Victor insisted on claiming his former office, and after some good-natured bantering, Adam reminded Victor that he was still C.E.O. but relented and took Sharon's corner office instead.

Adam convinced Victor that they had to buy out the Newman shareholders, and return it to a family owned company again. Victor suggested to this other children that they use their Newman settlement money to help him do it. But Victoria was more interested in pooling their money to buy the stock, then to kick Adam out. When Nick and Abby refused both Victor and Victoria's ideas, Adam found the money to buy out the public investors. Victor agreed to accept Adam's buyers if he would cut Sharon out of his life. So when Sharon showed up at Adam's expecting another sexual encounter, Adam ended it between them. Unable to deal with Adam, Victoria again quit working for Newman. Victor held a family gathering at Adam's penthouse to announce that, thanks to Adam, Newman was back to being totally Newman-owned. Afterward as Victoria left, she warned her father that she still felt that Adam was up to something. Adam was then seen by viewers on the phone telling someone that everything was going as planned.

Supposedly feeling confident that Newman was in good hands, Nikki and Victor went on their belated honeymoon in Tuscany. But Victor had his legal assistant, Melanie Daniels, spying for him with Adam. Being suspicious, Adam set her up. After overhearing Melanie on the phone, reporting to Victor what he had told her, Adam let her know that she had failed his test. After Nikki and Victor returned from Tuscany, Victor met with Adam and they exchanged their usual sly barbs about how much they supposedly trusted each other. But once Victor realized that Melanie had been found out by Adam, Victor fired her. She came to Adam for help finding another job, but Adam refused, and her offer of her continued presence in his bed. Not long afterward, Adam overheard Melanie and Billy scheming to sue Adam for sexual harassment. Adam warned Melanie not to even try to go against him, so Melanie went to Paul and filed rape charges. Adam was arrested and hired Leslie as his lawyer. Adam was able to find only Jack Abbot to be a character witness for him. But when Victor found out that Billy had recorded Adam trying to pay off Melanie to drop the charges, he decided to vouch for Adam. And although Chelsea could not be a character witness with her own character less than admirable, she did go to Melanie, and said enough about Adam's real vulnerable self to convince Melanie to drop the rape charge.

Victor and Nikki also returned to discover that Victoria had left Billy due to his gambling again, and had moved into the ranch. Later after Victoria walked in and caught Billy accepting his gambling winnings at his club, Victor was seen by viewers on the phone getting the news that his setting up Billy had worked. But it wasn't long before Billy managed to woo Victoria back home, and Victor was furious.

Not long afterward, Nick admitted that he had never retaken the paternity test to prove that Summer was his child, and when he had 18 years later, it turned out that Jack was Summer's father. Victor was furious that a Newman was now proven to be an Abbott. Victor interrupted Jack, Summer and Kyle having dinner together, warning Jack to stay away from Summer. Nick intervened, telling Victor to do what was best for Summer. That Jack was not the enemy. The enemy is and has always been Victor.

After Katherine Chancellor's death, her husband Murphy distributed envelopes with personal messages to each of her closest friends. She reminded Victor that she was responsible for bringing him to Genoa City, so everything good in his life he partially owed to her, and not to take Nikki for granted. Days later when Katherine's will was read, Victor was bequeathed Katherine's first edition books with the proviso that he read every one of them. It also announced that Chancellor had a new owner who would remain confidential, but Cane would be CEO.

Adam suggested that a fortune was to be made by taking over Chancellor, but Victor nixed the idea out of respect for the loss of his dear friend and business mentor, whose "advice was one of the few he had ever respected". But it wasn't long before Adam discovered that Victor was having him followed and his conversations bugged. Victor insisted that Adam tell him the identity of his Newman investors. Adam told him they were old Harvard Wall Street buddies who called themselves Fishhook Capital, but Victor didn't believe him. Adam walked out, saying they were through, that he was tired of trying to "measure up". Victor followed Adam straight to Jack, and became suspicious that Jack was the investor.

Finding out from Billy that Fishhook was a poker term, Victor deduced that it meant a jack, and that Jack was the one who had financed the buyback of Newman. Confronting Jack, Jack admitted it, saying that all he had done was help a friend impress his father. Jack tried to convince Victor that Adam was just proving his worth by bringing Newman home to Victor. Victor yelled that he had been betrayed by Adam. Jack yelled back that Adam was a fool to think Victor could ever be the father he wanted, and Victor countered that he had always known that he could never trust Adam. Adam walked in on the fight and told Victor that Adam would be a better father to his son than Victor had ever been to him.

Victor told Victoria that they would soon be in charge again, and convinced her to return to his company. Later, Jack offered to get other financiers to buy him out if Victor would forgive Adam, but Victor just accused Jack of trying to pull more tricks. Jack's final rejected offer was "I walk away from Newman, you walk away from Summer." Confident that they had Victor where they wanted him, Adam and Jack agreed to meet with him. Expecting Victor to pull a fast one, they were shocked when he declared, "Newman Enterprises is yours." The next day Jack discovered that Newman clients and suppliers were opting out of contracts and had signed new ones with Chancellor, bringing Newman to a standstill. Jack and Adam accused Victor of destroying Newman to get even. Victor shocked them with the fact that he was the secret owner of Chancellor in Katherine's will, so he no longer gave a damn about Newman. Adam lashed out at Victor, then walked away from his father for the last time as Victor reminded Jack that he always wins.

The next day, Victor offered to buy Newman to save his reputation. After telling Victor they would get back to him, Jack urged Adam to take the offer and start over with something of his own to hand down to his son, because Newman would always be a constant reminder of Victor. Adam agreed, and Jack went to Victor to accept his offer. After the agreement, Victor snidely told Jack, "Go back to Jabot. And when you run it into the ground I will swoop in and take it too." Victor then held a meeting with Chancellor CEO Cane Ashby. Despite the fact that Katherine had willed him the CEO position, it became evident to Cane that Victor, as the new owner of Chancellor, was only willing to give him a lesser job, so Cane quit. Within days Adam had signed the papers selling his shares and severing all ties with Newman for good. And Victor hired Victoria to oversee the merger of Newman with Chancellor Industries. To congratulate Adam on his new son, Victor gave Connor stock in Newman-Chancellor, but Adam tore up the papers declaring that Victor was not going to buy his son's love.

It was not long before Victor offered Abby a Vice Presidency which she turned down, and hired Noah as an executive trainee. When Kyle came to Victor claiming to be tired of not being taken seriously at Jabot, Victor hired him as a trainee as well so long as he would cut his long hair. Kyle was given full security access, but suspecting him as acting as a mole for Jack, Victor had someone watching his every move.

Victor's investigator hit the same dead ends as the police in his search for the hit and run driver who killed Delia until Victor had him check all black SUV's with a license plate starting with 6, instead of a G. On the list lying unseen on Victor's desk was the name and address of Adam Newman.

Nikki set up a family dinner at the Genoa City Athletic Club, and they all were intrigued about the purpose. Nikki was setting up a revelation by telling how Katherine had been involved, when Dylan and Avery arrived for a romantic dinner. Nick overreacted by accusing Dylan of following him around and throwing his relationship with Avery in his face. They got in a fist fight, and the other Newmans crowded around in an attempt to break them up. Nikki finally was able to do so by shocking them all by shouting that Dylan was her son. Dylan told her that could not be, that Terry and Penny McAvoy were his parents. Nikki explained that Penny had adopted him as a baby in an attempt to hang onto his father who had never found out. Dylan refused to believe it, and left with Avery. Victor reacted by fearing for her mental health, then as he became convinced, he accused her of not trusting him. Victoria was very understanding, but Nick left in a snit with his father. Dylan requested a DNA test, and it proved that he was Nikki's son. When Victor found out that Nikki had confided in Paul rather than him, just as she had about her M.S., he accused her of not trusting him. Victor warned Dylan to stay away from Nikki, then had the gall to present Nikki with a new draft of her will leaving Dylan out. Nikki refused to sign it, and reminded him that he had two other children by women other than her, then made Victor leave when Dylan arrived.

Victor arrived and caught Noah and Kyle fighting in his office, then assigned both of them to the lowest performing Chancellor subsidiary, Bonaventure Industries, to find out more about it. Noah later returned and told Victor that he had caught Kyle in his office and suspected he was spying on Victor.

The license plate list finally turned up, Victor spotted Adam's name on it, and put his investigator on it. He discovered that Adam had gone to the eye doctor with Connor that day, and if he had driven straight home the crash location was out of the way. But he also found that Adam had bought a turn signal light cover the next day for his car. At that news, Victor decided that Adam was the hit and run driver who had killed Delia, and confronted Adam. Adam admitted that he had never seen Delia, only the dog, and seeing he was safe, had driven on. Adam explained that he could not have come forward or Connor would not have gotten Delia's corneas. Victor offered Adam a deal, his silence in exchange for being part of his grandson's life. Adam said he would rather go to prison. But when Victor showed up uninvited at the end of Connor's blessing, everyone was astonished when Adam allowed Victor to hold Connor, despite the fact that they all had witnessed papers being signed giving guardianship to Jack should something happen to Adam. Afterward, Victor included Connor in his will, and made sure that Adam was cut out.

After Victor heard that Adam and Chelsea had gotten married, and were about to move to Paris, he threatened Adam that if he left Victor would expose Adam for killing Delia. Later Victor returned to the penthouse and found Chelsea in tears with a farewell note from Adam, interrupting her viewing of Adam's confession video. He hugged her and reassured her that no matter what, she and Connor would be taken care of. Jack visited Victor at home and accused him in front of Nikki of blackmailing Adam with the knowledge that Adam had been the hit and run driver. Nikki was appalled when Victor tried to justify what he did, wondering how he was going to live with himself for betraying Victoria and Billy to protect his murdering son, and still have no remorse.

Jack arrived at the penthouse and told Chelsea that Billy and Adam had been in a car crash, that the car had exploded, and the police had found only Adam's watch. Victor joined them, and gave them the news that Billy had gotten out and was going to be fine, but that Adam was still missing and presumed dead. Jack was elated at the news about Billy, but admitted that he had loved Adam like a son, and gave Victor and Chelsea condolences. Chelsea refused to believe that Adam was dead. Victor again assured Chelsea that she and Connor were Newmans, and always would be and Victor urged her to live at the ranch, that he would even build her a house there. Jack and Sharon reminded her that was exactly what Adam would NOT have wanted. Victor stopped at the crash site and got a little teary-eyed as he remembered teaching Adam as a child to play soccer and to box. Later at home, Nikki reminded Victor that if he had told the police the truth about Adam when he found out, Adam would still be alive. Later Nick and Victoria overheard Jack and Victor arguing, and realized that their father had been blackmailing Adam. Victoria once again washed her hands of Victor, and Nick walked out.

The evening of the Delia Project Valentine's Day benefit, Victor arrived at Chelsea's and found her upset that Connor was missing. Chloe had packed up Connor's things, stolen Chelsea and Connor's passports, and assuming Chelsea's identity, had flown to Paris. Victor and Chelsea took Victor's jet, and found them both at the apartment where Chelsea and Adam were going to live. Chloe returned with them to Genoa City and was arrested for kidnapping.

Meanwhile back in Genoa City, the Cassie-look-alike that Victor had found was being paid to haunt Sharon, in an attempt to stop Sharon and Nick from getting close and reuniting. The young woman told Victor that Sharon had admitted that she had a secret she was keeping from Nick, and Victor told her to find out what it was. But discovering she liked Nick and Sharon together, she returned to Victor and quit. But Victor reminded her of the trouble she left behind in Portland and threatened to have her arrested. She then told Victor that Sharon had told her that whatever the secret was, someone named Phyllis knew all about it. Later Victor caught the Cassie-lookalike at The Underground and warned to leave town, saying that she was not a sweet girl like Cassie.

Victor was livid to discover that Nikki had been keeping the fact that Ian Ward was in town and taunting her, and that Nikki and Paul had worked together to get Ian arrested for extorting millions from her to leave town. He accused Nikki of keeping secrets from him, and once again turning to Paul for help. Victor met Ian at the police station, and both were posturing and threatening each other. Victor called Ian a "worthless maggot on the bottom of my shoe."

Victor was notified that the FDA was investigating Newman-Chancellor subsidiary, Bonaventure Industries, for selling the dangerous drug Viva-Surge without FDA approval, the same drug that had nearly killed his granddaughter, Summer. Victor was convinced that Jack had set him up, and asked Cane for his help. Because it had been Cane's baby, and he had convinced Victor to keep funding it although it was losing money, Cane followed up on Bonaventure on his own. Cane's father Colin accused Victor of setting up Cane to take the fall if Victor's drug scheme with Bonaventure were ever discovered. But Cane gave Victor the name of the man who had led him to Bonaventure, then mysteriously disappeared, hoping it would expose who had set them both up. Victor promised Cane that he would be rewarded with the Chancellor CEO job if it did.

Chelsea talked Victor into investigating if Adam was still alive as she believed, in exchange for access to Connor. Victor's operative located Chick, a homeless man, who told Chelsea and Victor that he witnessed a man crawl out of the SUV with his clothes on fire. Victor had the last call that Chelsea supposedly received from Adam traced to New Orleans.

Victor's investigator informed him that a John Doe had been found in the river two counties away that was a match to Adam's dental records. Victor broke the news to Chelsea and they began making plans for a memorial. Chelsea insisted that Sharon, who had also loved him, be invited. The realization that his son was really dead brought on a noticeable change in Victor who promised Nikki he would accept Dylan, was willing to let Abby become engaged to Tyler, Nick get back together with Sharon, and Victoria become involved with Stitch, all without his interference – although he commented to Victoria that they could all make their own mistakes in the future.

After Ian was released due to a mistrial and back in town tormenting Nikki, Victor first threatened Ian, then made plans to wisk her away by chartering a one hundred and fifty foot yacht to Spain and Monaco, including a doctor onboard who specialized in MS. But then Nick exposed Victor's conspiracy to drive Sharon crazy by hiring a Cassie lookalike to haunt her, and Nick disowned him. Victor went to the girl's hotel room and berated her for all that she had done. She offered to help Victor find the secret and patch up things between him and Nick. Victor told her to stay away from Nick and left, warning her again that she was wanted in Portland. Nikki was appalled that Victor would go that far, to potentially rob their grandchildren of their mother. She told him it was unforgivable, and that he was no better than Ian Ward. Victor refused to admit that he had done anything wrong, resented the comparison, and said he did not care what anyone thought. Nikki walked from the room saying, "You never do." Nikki promptly moved out and into the athletic club, much to Victor's shock.

Ian gloated to Nikki that the extortion charges had been dismissed as circumstantial, but he was willing to forgive her for trying to send him to prison. Victor closed all of Nikki's accounts to protect her funds from Ian, and promised Ian that he would leave Nikki alone or live to regret it. That night Victor met Ian in an alley with some thugs to convince him to leave town, and took steps to make sure that all offices of The Path were shut down. Victor also had Mariah arrested and extradited back to Portland to face burglary charges to keep her out of Abby's life. Dylan contacted Willa again to get the goods on Ian, and he thanked Victor for what he "didn’t do to Ian" for Nikki, suggesting they work together to get rid of him. Victor gave Dylan a bundle of money, and sent Dylan to Idaho to see Willa. But Dylan found that she had moved in the middle of night just before he arrived, left no forwarding address, and her phone had been disconnected. Victor refused to accept the money back, telling Dylan to keep it to "remove the incentive for Ian to stay in town".

Meanwhile, Newman-Chancellor was found guilty of selling unapproved drugs, and fined 200 million dollars. Victor faced prison time if his prior knowledge could be proven.

Nikki's family and Victor kept asking her when she was going to forgive him and come home. Nikki told Victor that she could not because just as he had pointed out that love was not enough for Billy and Victoria, neither was love enough for them. One evening when Victor was supposed to be out of town, and Nikki was using the ranch house to babysit for Johnny, Victor arrived home. They enjoyed playing with Johnny, and ended up making love. The afterglow was interrupted by Dylan with the news that Paul Williams had been shot and was not expected to live, and Nikki left to be with Paul. 

Victor's detective found Willa, and Victor paid her for Ian's secret – the fact that Ian Ward was sterile. Nikki then realized the reason that Dylan and Paul had the same blood type, that Paul was Dylan's biological father. When Nikki saw Paul fighting for his life to be with Christine, the person he loved, Nikki decided to come home and be with Victor, the man she loved.

Still intent on discovering Sharon's secret, Victor contacted Dr. Hans Cutler in Switzerland who had developed a coma reversing medication, and got Phyllis' doctor, Dr. Burnett, to share her records with him by making a sizable donation to his hospital. Phyllis was found to be an excellent candidate for drug trial, but family consent was required. So Victor arranged for Daniel to receive a grant for an exhibit that would send him out of the country. Before he left, he signed over Phyllis' power of attorney to Summer. Having no money to pay her husband Austin's court fine, Victor released some of Summer's trust fund so that she could pay it for him. But as she was signing the papers, he slipped in a consent agreement for Phyllis to partake in the coma-reversing trial.

Ian continued to taunt Nikki and Dylan, and he continually tried to rattle Victor. But in Victor, Ian had certainly met his match. Victor threatened Ian that he knew his weaknesses, and Victor would win. Ian sued Nikki for emotional distress, but the judge ruled against him after hearing excerpts about Ian from Nikki's diary. Victor threatened Ian to never make the mistake of coming after his family again. After Nikki's diary turned up printed in the National Inquisitor, Victor threatened the tabloid with extinction if they did not desist.

Nick shocked Victor and Nikki by telling them that he had discovered that that Sharon had unknowingly had twins, and that Mariah was actually Cassie's twin, but Mariah had been sold by the doctor to Ian Ward who had raised her. Telling them that Ian had abducted Mariah and was asking for a multi-million dollar ransom, Nick asked Victor for his help in tracking Ian down. Victor had to leave town, but his security team found that Ian leased a storage unit, and Nick and Dylan found a drugged Mariah there.

Victor arrived at Phyllis' bedside just after she had been given the experimental drug to bring her out of her coma. After telling her that he wanted to be the first person that she saw to find out Sharon's secret, Phyllis opened her eyes, but was still uncommunicative. Victor placed a photo of her daughter Summer in front of Phyllis and left for home. After being warned that Phyllis may not come out of it the same as she was before, Victor encouraged Dr. Cutler to continue giving the drug, telling him that Phyllis had been a risk-taker and would approve if she could.

Mariah witnessed Sharon dreaming, mumbling about her secret, saying, "I lied. I should have told Nick who her father really is." Mariah misinterpreted it to mean that Nick was not Faith's father and told Victor, expecting a reward that would allow her to leave town. Victor made her wait until he could get their DNA tested to be sure. He secured samples and took off for Switzerland.

Victor was furious with Dr. Cutler for not telling him that Phyllis had woken up from her coma, stolen a nurse's scrubs, and hitchhiked to Genoa City from the Georgia hospital. Mariah filled him in that Phyllis had stopped Nick and Sharon's wedding, but Sharon's secret had not yet been exposed. Calling Nikki, who had been unable to get hold of him when she needed him again, she refused to tell him what was going on until he deigned to come home.

Victor returned and let Mariah know that the DNA test proved that Faith was indeed Nick's daughter. Mariah questioned then if Nick was Victor's son, but he assured her that had been verified as certain. Jack was livid after discovering that Victor had been responsible for Phyllis' recovery, putting her on an experimental drug by tricking Summer into signing consent forms. But Victor gloated that he had managed to do what Jack could not, and demanded Phyllis tell him Sharon's secret in return. Phyllis refused to do anything that would hurt Nick. Victor went home and was met by Nikki, who filled him in on her part in a sting operation to expose Ian Ward as alive, and his arrest for Mariah's abduction. They fought, and Victor walked out.

Summer dropped by the Newman Ranch and noticed her hairbrush, asking Victor how it had gotten to his house. Victor then realized it meant that Summer was Nick's. Victor showed the DNA results to Nick. Victor, Nick, and Jack went to locate Sharon, finding her in the same stairwell where Phyllis had taken her fall. Phyllis was restraining Sharon by the arm demanding that she remember the secret that Phyllis had known. Jack and Nick were shocked as Sharon was forced to confess that she had tampered with the paternity test, that Nick was actually Summer's biological father, and that she had left Phyllis for dead at the bottom of the stairs. Nick refused to listen to Sharon's excuses and told her they were not getting married, and to just stay away from him. Victor was relieved to be rid of Sharon once again and with the confirmation that Summer was a Newman. After Victoria told Victor truth that Ben's mother had killed her husband and Ben had taken the rap for her, Victor told Ben that he had always admired him, but he was sorry that Ben had made such a personal sacrifice for someone who did not deserve it. Victor was livid when Billy was determined to be the father of Victoria's baby, and Victor gave Ben his condolences and encouragement to pursue Victoria again.

Anxious about the project Ashley had returned to Jabot to head up, Victor hired her lab assistant Tobias Gray to spy for him. But when Tobias brought him a formula with ingredients used to make tequila, Victor knew that Ashley was onto him. It was also revealed that Victor was in cahoots with Joe Clark, and Victor's holding company GEROLAMO Ltd. owned the properties in the warehouse district that were scheduled for redevelopment by demolition, which would put Dylan's Crimson Lights out of business. Dylan was livid when he found out, and confronted Victor in front of Nikki. Victor claimed it was just business, and Nikki was furious with him. After the City put the sale on hold awaiting a community impact study, Victor offered Dylan big bucks to relocate. When Dylan turned it down, Victor threatened that he would not want to see Dylan or Avery get hurt over this. That same day, two masked men entered Crimson Lights and robbed Dylan who fought back, and he ended up in the hospital with a concussion. Victor became upset with Joe for having Dylan beaten up. But when Victor saw the affect that it was having on Nikki and her MS, he canceled the sale and sent Joe packing.

Ashley went to see Victor who admitted to spying. The Jabot lab was suddenly shut down and the product seized by the Environmental Security Bureau for unlawful use of a tree root which would endanger a rainforest. Since the tree root was some of the fake information Ashley had fed to him, Ashley accused Victor of setting it up. His response was to show her a sample of Newman's new fragrance which was environmentally safe. But after Victoria found out what he had done, she threatened to shut him out of her new daughter Katie's life unless he made things right with Ashley. As far as Ashley knew, all samples were returned and no charges filed, but Victor's chemist kept some of a sample to analyze. Ashley was livid with Victor and threatened to sue after she was told of Brash and Sassy's ad for their new love potion fragrance which promised, "Cast a spell on your man."

Without the warehouse district sale to bail out Newman-Chancellor, Victor agreed to sell Chancellor to Jill at a hefty price with a short deadline. Jill, Cane, Colin, and Devon came up with the money, the contract was signed, and Jill became CEO with Cane her second in command.

Victor surprised Nikki by inviting Phyllis to live with them after she had been arrested for the attempted murder of Kelly and released from her psychiatric evaluation. Convinced that Victor was taking her in to toy with Jack, and not keeping his promises, Nikki walked out in a huff. Victor talked with Kelly, offering to help her get Jack back.

Phyllis walked into the Valentines party at The Underground on Victor's arm. Nikki lashed out at Victor for leaving her waiting for him there while he squired Phyllis around, and downed another drink. Later after most of the guests had left, Victor realized that Nikki was drunk. As they argued, the ceiling crashed in on them, trapping them with Jack and Phyllis under the rubble. Victor found Jack and had to do CPR to save his life, causing Jack to ask Victor why he had not left him to die. Victor told him that Jack was one of the people he cared about. As more wreckage buried them, Jack, thinking he was going to die, told Victor there was something he needed to know about Adam. But they were interrupted by Dylan and Nick finding them. While they pulled Nikki and Phyllis out to safety, the snow-weighted roof collapsed too. When Nick returned to the spot where Victor and Jack were last seen, they found the dead body of the part time bartender, Derek. They finally found Jack alive in bad shape, but no sign of Victor. While the pros searched for Victor, Nick, Abby, and Victoria took Nikki home. They were shocked when Nikki threw down a glass of vodka in front of them. A disheveled Victor walked in, said, "Pour me one," drank it and said he was fine, then collapsed. Suffering a concussion, Victor was put in the same room with Jack, they argued, and Victor reminded him that he had saved his life. Jack agreed when Victor proposed they let each other be, the town was big enough for both of them, and to become friendly enemies. But views saw Victor tell someone on his cell that the plan had worked like a charm. They agreed to team up to clear Phyllis, then Victor ratted him out to Kelly.

Kelly later confessed that she had set Phyllis up, so Phyllis was released. Phyllis accused Kelly of scheming with Victor, and after Phyllis discovered Kelly's out of country travel plans, Kelly knocked Phyllis unconscious with a bottle of champagne. Kelly went to Victor for help, and he gave her a new plan. Victor delivered news to Jack and Phyllis that Kelly was on her way to Abu Dhabi, and would be arrested as she got off the plane. Later Victor claimed that Kelly had gotten away from the police but then had committed suicide. Showing them her morgue photo, he told them that she had overdosed and left a note.

Meanwhile Victor was seen by viewers plotting with someone in the hospital chapel confessional, stating that Jack would lose everything. Victor had tasked Victoria with researching Jabot's stability, but she reported that it was the best it has ever been, and its Achilles' heel did not exist. After promising her that Jack would end up begging Victor for help in exchange for everything he owned, Victor offered to buy Jabot from Jack. Jack responded, "No way" and began to suspect that he was being set up.

When the Jabot computers got hacked, Ashley and Jack immediately blamed Victor, only to find him sitting in Jack's office chair. Victor claimed that Newman's computers had been hacked as well, and offered to work together to resolve it. Jack showed him the door in reply. Victor left an envelope containing a fingerprint chart in the confessional and phoned his operative that they were vital to his plan, but Nikki got to it first, and she confronted Victor with it. Victor told her it was none of her business, and viewers saw someone making molds of the fingerprints.

Jack and Phyllis were married in St. Barts. Afterward, Jack was kidnapped courtesy of Victor, and a man with Jack's face named Marco Annicelli took his place impersonating Jack. "Jack" returned from his honeymoon and made a deal with Victor to merge their companies into Newman-Abbott Enterprises.

Victor setup Victoria as C.O.O. and over Ashley's objections, pulled Hex from the market after it got bad reviews on social media. Victor also hired Neil as C.F.O.

Viewers saw that Kelly was holding the real Jack hostage, still in St. Barts, drugging and brainwashing him into loving her while he was tied to a bed. Victor supplied Kelly with fake news stories to convince Jack that Phyllis' dead body had been found, Jack was considered dead being lost at sea, and Victor paid off the island police to help Kelly keep Jack there.

"Jack" reported to Victor that Gabriel told him that he was not a Bingham, and apparently he and the real Jack had a scheme going on. Victor warned Marco to stop being so cocky and taking advantage of his new-found power, that his out of character over-zealousness with his new wife Phyllis, spicing up his wardrobe, and buying a $400,000 Ferrari was going to expose the ruse. Later Kyle was driving the Ferrari, and crashed it into a tree. The fake Jack, riding with him, ended up in a coma. Victor then realized that the merger agreement had yet to be signed, so he coerced Neil into forging Jack's signature and later Nikki into witnessing it.

With a loving Phyllis sitting at this bedside, the fake Jack came out of his coma. When Gabriel caught Victor holding a syringe over "Jack" in his hospital bed, Gabriel leveraged a job as Co-C.O.O. equal with Victoria. Later Phyllis told Victor that Jack was having nightmares in which he spoke Spanish. Victor told Marco that he needed it to stop or take separate bedrooms. And when Kyle told Victor that the prime suspect in Austin and Courtney's murders was notorious criminal Marco Annicelli, Victor confronted Marco. Marco told Victor that it looked more like Victor had framed him for those murders to keep him under his thumb while he portrayed Jack.

Even after "Jack" came out of the coma and attested that he had signed the merger agreement, Nikki felt guilty and used by Victor, moved out, and began drinking again. Victor tried to make her return home, but Nikki began throwing empty liquor bottles into the fireplace, screaming at Victor how each drink was caused by him, his lying and manipulation of her and their children.

Victor heard from his paid cop on the island that Jack had somehow escaped, and Kelly had been found murdered. Unable to find him, the cop assumed that Jack had stowed away on a smuggler ship based out of Peru. Victor smugly smiled, knowing that Jack's face was well-known in Peru as Marco the drug lord.

Marco, as Jack, threw a party at the GCAC to celebrate the merger. Tobias Gray, the lab assistant who had spied on Jabot for Victor, crashed the party and sat on the bar regaling everyone with their family secrets. Saying the Newmans and Abbotts were all about money, entitlement, and ruthlessness, and that Victor was always lying, spying, and cheating. Billy ushered him out, Tobias crashed his car while driving away, and died in the hospital. Victor accused Marco of pinning the murders on Tobias and getting rid of him, telling Marco to watch his back. Nikki got drunk and totally out of control causing Neil to facilitate an intervention. Nikki balked, recognizing that it was just like what they had done with Katherine years before. After her family regaled her with their love and concern for her with M.S., Nikki said, "Victor, you would drive anyone to drink," grabbed a bottle of vodka, and collapsed in a seizure, had what her therapist called a "moment of clarity", and ended up in a rehab facility.

When Nikki finally allowed Victor to visit, it was to tell him that she had realized that he was the source of her drinking, and she had decided she would not be coming home to live with him, and they needed to stay apart. Victor roared "Hell no." and wanted to know who had put these notions in her head.

Marco shocked Victor by telling him that he had paid ten million dollars to have Jack killed. Victor went for his gun in his desk drawer, but Marco had it, and aimed it at Victor. Victor scowled, "You don’t have the guts." Marco reminded Victor that he was not Jack Abbott. Victor called Marco just a thug in a $2000 suit and pointed out that the gun was empty. Marco pulled the trigger several times at Victor's face, they both laughed, then threatened each other with exposure. Jack told Phyllis, and Victor told Neil, that the other might kill them.

The Newman Father's Day celebration was held at the athletic club while "Jack" and Phyllis looked on. After Victor announced that the jet was ready to take them on a family holiday in Hawaii, he was arrested for felony embezzlement. At the police station, Victor wouldn't talk and asked for his attorney. Victor, out on bail, warned his family they were in danger and gave them each bodyguards. He confronted Marco, saying he knew that he and the Abbotts had set him up, and threatened to kill Marco if he came near his family. Ashley suddenly dropped the embezzlement charges, claiming it was just a computer glitch.

Victor overheard Nikki get a call from "Jack" and agree to meet him in the park. Fearing for her safety, Victor told her he would take her place. Victor and Jack argued, and when Jack reached into his suitcoat, Victor shot him. Gabriel persuaded Victor to give him Newman-Abbott in exchange for covering it up for him. Victor told Nikki that he had met Jack in the park and had agreed to turn over Newman-Abbott to Gabriel. Later Victor told Victoria that Jack had shown up intent on killing Victor, Victor had shot him in self-defense, and that Gabriel had threatened to tell the police it was murder if Victor did not turn over the company to him. So Victoria gave Victor an alibi when he was accused. Nikki told Paul, betraying Victor and implicating Victoria. Victor announced that Gabriel was the new CEO. Ashley opined that Gabriel was blackmailing Victor for shooting Jack.

Jack came out of his coma. Phyllis asked who had shot him, and Jack pointed at Victor. While Phyllis went to get a doctor, Victor warned Jack in Spanish to keep his mouth shut, that no one knew who shot him but Gabriel. They returned to find Victor holding a pillow over Jack. Then Jack lapsed back into the coma.

Gabriel walked in, admitting that he had witnessed the shooting. Paul arrested Victor, offering no prosecution of Victoria if he told the truth. Victor admitted he had shot Jack, saying Jack had threatened his family, that Jack had a personality change, and was not the same man. Jack had suddenly decided he wanted the whole company, and had set Victor up for embezzlement. They argued, Jack reached for a gun, and Victor shot him. But no gun was found at the scene. Michael Baldwin became Victor's attorney, and talked him into giving up his gun which had been hidden under the stable floor.

Victor began paying off a guard for favors, including his cell phone, which he used to call Nikki to ask her to visit him. But Neil intercepted the call, and went to see Victor instead. Neil told Victor that Nikki was leaning on Neil to protect her from Victor's life of lies and payoffs, so Victor slugged Neil. Victor called Nikki and begged her not to leave him. She said that if he loved her to let her go, that he was toxic to her sobriety.

Jack eventually came out of the coma and confronted Victor, tearing into him for replacing him with Marco, stealing Jabot, and most of all for allowing Phyllis to be violated for months. Victor claimed that he was driven to do it to protect himself from a plot against him called the paragon project, which he was convinced that Jack was behind. They came to an understanding after Victor cautioned Jack not to tell anyone about Marco or people could think he killed Kelly and the 12 men on the cargo ship. Jack tried to keep the secret from Phyllis, but during a second honeymoon, he confessed, and she was furious with Victor. They returned home to find out that Marco was not dead after all, and the police were being misled by Marisa's drawing of the ship's captain as being Marco.

When Gabriel heard that Jack was out of his coma, he stepped down as CEO of Newman-Abbott, but Victor surprised everyone when he asked Gabriel to stay on with the company. When Victor didn't get the reaction he expected out of Jack, he accused Ashley of being behind the paragon project. Ashley was resentful that he would even think such a thing. Jack and Victor drew up an agreement to dissolve the merger of Newman and Jabot.

After the police found a gun with Jack's fingerprints which Victor had planted at Chelsea's that would back up Victor's claim that he had shot Jack in self-defense, Gabriel was taken in for questioning. Gabriel claimed that he had been set up by Victor, and they should realize there were too many coincidences. Nikki also realized that Victor had been planning on shooting Jack for months, when she recalled that he had Jack's prints months ago. Nikki told Paul, and Gabriel was released, upsetting Victoria that her mother had stabbed her father in the back.

Jack told Victor that he had Marco secured at the Abbott cabin. He arrived to find Marco tied to the bed with Phyllis and Jack unable to kill him as they wanted. Jack was ready to go to the police to get justice against Victor and Marco, but Phyllis talked him out of it. Victor arrived, and talked them into letting him return Marco to prison in Peru, as they all had too much to lose if the truth ever got out. On the way there, Victor had one of his men cut off Marco's ear so he could never be mistaken for Jack again.

All the Abbotts and Newmans gathered to formalize the dissolution of the merger. Abby was put on the spot to choose, and she chose to continue as C.O.O. for Newman. Victor insisted on maintaining control of Chelsea's fashion line, to which Chelsea and the Abbott's objected strenuously. Victor pointed out that the original merger agreement required bids by each party. Chelsea had to choose a blind bid, not knowing if the high or low bid was Jabot. She followed Adam's advice and chose high, but it was Newman's. Chelsea told Victor she would just stay in Paris and start her own company there. Victor reminded her that she had signed a non-compete clause, and he owned her. Chelsea spat that no one owned her and could tell her where to live, she refused to work for Newman, and was returning to Paris. But Victor ruined their plans by suing for weekly visitation of Connor, a court order keeping Chelsea in town until it could be decided.

Jack proposed that he and Victor work together to find out who was behind the Paragon project. Victor agreed to keep each other in the loop of whatever they found. Victor consulted former criminal hacker Kevin Fisher about Paragon possibly mounting a cyberattack, offering him a side job. Kevin accepted, assuring Victor that he knew he was a scary man, and wouldn't dare cross him. Kevin found a hacker had attempted to enter the gate of the Newman system during Katherine's two-year memorial, knowing that it would be the perfect opportunity, and may have caused the blackout which affected every building but Newman. Victor cautioned Kevin to share nothing with Jabot.

After Luca Santori showed up looking for his wife Marisa on a tip from Marco, Jack accused Victor of still controlling Marco which he denied. Victor was concerned that Luca was part of the notorious Santori family in Spain and pressured Marisa to get rid of him by seduction if necessary.

The computer virus caused Lancelot Shipping, a Newman subsidiary, to go up for sale cheaply, and Billy snapped it up for Jabot, and began buying more Newman subsidiaries. Victor panicked, and yelled at Abby that it was all her fault. Victor reported the Abbotts to the FBI and they were arrested for introducing a virus into Newman's computers. Phyllis told Victor that Ian Ward was actually behind the virus. But when Victor visited the prison to see for himself, Ian was there, and claimed that he and Phyllis had never met. Ian later escaped, but was arrested in Genoa City. Phyllis, after being told by Ian, exposed to Jack and Victor that Adam was alive and passing as Gabriel Bingham.

Victor found Adam after he had been slugged by Billy, who had just found out his identity. Adam and Victor argued and discussed the past, how Adam had never been able to please Victor even after taking a bullet for him, and how Adam had always been out to one-up Victor.

Victor's men found the hacker Topher who had written the Paragon virus, and threatened him to stop the virus before it ruined his company entirely. Topher told him that there was no way to stop it. Meanwhile the virus was causing more and more subsidiaries to be sold, and Billy was buying them. When Ashley returned, she confirmed that Billy had been following her orders and taunted Victor that she had finally one-upped him herself. Abby talked Victor into giving Chelsea back her company.

Adam was arrested for causing the death by motor vehicle of Delia Abbott. Victor offered Adam a deal, that he would bail him out if Adam agreed to stop the Paragon virus, and keep Chelsea in town with his grandchild. Adam agreed, Victor paid the ten million dollar bail, made an impassioned speech to the court about how he believed his son, and Adam was remanded into Victor's custody. Chelsea forgave Adam, and they make love. When Adam didn't seem to be making any progress on Paragon, Victor offered to look the other way if he wanted to run.

Chelsea testified at Adam's trial saying how much she loved him, how much he loves children, and that he had even delivered hers and Sage's babies under dire circumstances. Adam testified explaining how the accident had happened, how a dog had dashed out in front of his car, he had stopped to see if it was okay, then driven on. Adam took full responsibility, but swore he had not known that Delia had been stuck, and was so sorry. Later when Michael offered to try to cut him a deal on a lesser charge, Adam refused to let him. The next day Billy broke down on the stand, saying that he shared responsibility for not taking better care of Delia, asking the jury to forgive Adam. The jury quickly reached a guilty verdict. At sentencing Victor reminded the jury that his son had taken full responsibility for the tragic accident, and that his reactions were from grief and had not been malicious. Chelsea begged for mercy for their family unit. Adam said that he deserved the guilty verdict, but pled for mercy for his son, saying how he had grown up without a father, and did not want the same for his son. Adam was sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. As he was taken from the courtroom, Adam asked Chelsea to tell their son Connor every day that he loved him. But as Adam was being escorted from the jail he was intentionally struck by a white sedan. Suffering with internal injuries, Adam was taken into surgery. When Billy showed up at the hospital, Victor blamed him and demanded that Billy be arrested. But Chloe was later discovered to have been the driver.

The annual Delia Halloween costume party benefit was held at Top of the Tower, and everyone attended, Victor in a tux and mask and Nikki as Mae West. A fire broke out on the floors just below them. Victor and Billy went down after Jack but found Adam unconscious. They helped Adam get to the roof where Victor encouraged Adam to take the helicopter and run away from his prison sentence. Billy objected, but Adam refused anyway. As the three were about to board the helicopter, Adam saw someone still inside. Adam stayed behind. Victor was reunited with Nikki at the hospital where she had been praying for him in the chapel. Adam was later declared a hero as he walked out of the building carrying a badly injured and unconscious Ben over his back, followed by Abby and Ashley.

Due to Adam's heroic actions when he could have run away, and some blackmail by Victor of the appeals judge Elise Moxley, who was a former lover, Adam's sentence was reduced to five years probation and 1,000 hours of community service, with a stern warning that the smallest infraction would send him back to prison. But Adam had to sell his soul to Victor to get it. Victor suspected that Billy and Phyllis had joined Ian with the Paragon project. Victor told Adam that he knew his secret that Sage's baby Christian was actually Adam's, so Victor was depending on Adam to help him run Newman and foil the Abbotts. Victor informed Nick about this decision, and that it was time for Nick to take care of Sage and go back to running The Underground.

When Nikki found out about Victor's blackmailing the judge, he explained that his affair with Senator Moxley's wife occurred after Ashley had left him, and while Nikki was married to Jack.

Ian contacted Phyllis to meet him in his room at the Genoa City Motor Arms. She did, accompanied by Victor. Ian praised Adam, calling him the smartest of Victor's children. Victor told Ian to cut the crap and stop Paragon now! Grabbing Phyllis around the neck, Victor threatened to kill "Ian's girlfriend" if he didn't. Ian showed them to his server room, telling Victor there was no way to stop the virus. Victor smashed up everything in the server room, and Ian was arrested by federal agents as he tried to escape. Later Paragon appeared to have gone away.

Once they found out that Billy and Phyllis had taken over Paragon and was using it to further decimate Newman, Adam suggested that Victor sue Jabot. Victor arranged a deal with Luca for the Santori family to buy a piece of Newman to help them out financially. Jack told Michael how Victor had replaced him with the evil Marco fooling everyone. Jack called a press conference to expose Victor's evil trick at last, but did not for Phyllis' sake. Instead, Jack agreed to the settlement with Victor, paying Newman five hundred million dollars. Victor claimed victory, knowing that it would ruin Jabot. Ashley stepped down as CEO, Jack fired Billy, and Phyllis stepped back into Billy's position. Jack had to make a lot of cuts, starting with top executives. Victor tried to pay back the Santori family with interest for their share of Newman, claiming the contract had included a three day right of rescission. But Luca would not accept, demanding an office for himself and for Marisa, his assistant. They were surprised when they were shown to the offices by Noah, who had gone back to work at Newman to learn from his grandfather, all part of Adam and Victor's plan to get rid of the Santoris. Luca told Adam they needed to find Marco to seal the deal to bring down both their fathers. Victor gave Adam a slip of paper that supposedly gave Marco's location, and smugly said that this would finally get rid of Luca and the Santoris.

Nikki planned a family Christmas eve party at Top of the Tower, but Victor being a Scrooge, make staff work late with him. Adam and Noah sent them all home. Noah, Adam and Victoria were unable to convince Victor to join the party to make Nikki's Christmas happy. But it was his granddaughter Faith who finally did.

Billy Abbott lay in a coma in the hospital after losing a bet and being beaten when he could not pay his bookie. Victor got Phyllis to admit that Billy needed the money to finance Kevin in a big deal. Victor offered Kevin financial backing, but he was met by Jack who had also offered to finance Kevin's deal. Kevin turned them both down, but when Billy was taken off life support, Kevin agreed to let Victor be their financial backer. But Victor later kicked Kevin out to the deal after discovering that Kevin had requested an extra million dollars for himself.

Adam left home on a business trip to Spain, but never showed up at the Newman jet. Victor received an email offering to trade Adam for "the girl". Assuming it was from the Santoris wanting Marisa, Victor had her picked up. But Natalie, the young woman who had written Kevin's big deal software, convinced Victor that she was "the girl" Adam's captor wanted. Victor arranged for an exchange of Natalie for Adam to be made during a Chelsea fashion show, at the Top of the Tower. Victor told Chelsea not to worry about Adam, that he would get him back to her, even if it meant sacrificing Natalie. Paul took over to keep everyone safe while they stepped in and caught the kidnapper.

Victor decided to take Nikki on a second honeymoon wherever she wanted to go, leaving Adam in charge of the Santori situation, and Victoria in charge of the company. Victor returned, upset with Adam for screwing up the plan to get rid of the Santoris. Adam told Victor it would have worked if Victor had bothered to tell him about Noah being Billy's hit and run driver. Victor screamed at Luca to end this now, telling him he didn’t want to find out what Victor was capable of. Luca threatened Victor that his lawyer held two files about Noah and Marco. When Victor discovered that Noah was working against him with Luca, he ratted Noah out to the police. Victor also discovered that Natalie had been watching him from a camera in his office. He took her laptop and fired her. When Natalie took Pass Key to Jabot, Victor threatened to sue the Abbotts with corporate espionage.

Nikki found out about Victor replacing Jack with Marco and confronted her husband, who made his usual excuses about protecting her and his family. Nikki said that she was sick and tired of him, and leaving him for good this time. Victor retorted, "Fine. Go." And that he was sick of everyone complaining about him. But it was Victoria who confronted Victor with the evidence about replacing Jack with Marco. They were interrupted by Paul who arrested Victor after Victoria turned over the evidence. Victor faked dizziness and was hospitalized until tests showed he was fine. Surrounded by his family, Victor raged at them, accusing them of being traitors, ungrateful for all he had done for them. Victor found himself in jail, and was visited only by Summer. She listened to him tell how everyone was ungrateful for all he had done for them. Summer asked how Victor could do that to her mother, and be ultimately responsible for the death of her husband Austin. She walked out telling him that he would never admit what he had done or say he was sorry because he felt justified in using any means to control others lives.

Although Nick abstained, Summer had Victor's proxy, and Adam voted by phone, the Newman board voted to oust Victor as CEO. Victoria was voted in as CEO with no opposition from Adam. Judge Elise Moxley recused herself and confessed her affair with Victor, rather than cave in to Victor's expectations to get off. Some department heads became upset that Adam had not become CEO. Victoria asked Victor for vote of confidence, but he just laughed, promising her that she would be out of Newman, never to return once he was exonerated. Victor asked Adam to take over the company, but he refused, saying he had moved on, and he was accepting a position with the largest hedge fund in Manhattan. Victor fired his lawyer when she tried to get him to accept a plea bargain, and he hired Michael Baldwin. Luca Santori asked Victor to put him in charge to keep Victoria from running the company into the ground. Victor told him when hell freezes over.

Victor's trial began, with him claiming that what he had done was justified because of the Paragon virus attack which he had thought was plotted by the Abbotts. Paul gave evidence of a video of Victor and the warden at the Peru prison where Marco was held, and that Victor had bribed the crew to let Jack think they were all dead. Marisa testified to everything Marco had told her about Victor's hiring him to portray Jack, and Jack testified with all the horrific details. All of Victor's family testified against him, except for Summer, each telling him that he had finally gone too far. Michael chose not to cross-examined any of them. Victor asked Michael to call Luca to the stand, and Luca testified that he had overheard Michael conspiring with Phyllis to throw the case. Victor fired Michael and proclaimed that he would serve as his own council, calling himself as the first witness. Victor accused Phyllis of engineering everything, then got each of his family to tell how much Victor had supported and helped them, from being the one to rescue Phyllis from her coma, Nick from Matt Clark, Adam from prison, and Nikki from the life of a stripper. He then berated them for being ungrateful and turning against him. Victor said he was guilty as charged, guilty of loving those who betrayed and testified against him, and that he wouldn't change a thing. Victor was found guilty and sentenced to 10 years in Walworth state prison. Victor left the courtroom, saying he had no family anymore. They were all dead to him.

In prison, Victor was approached by an inmate selling protection, and later after being warned by Ian Ward, Victor was attacked and knifed in his sleep. When Nikki tried to visit at the hospital, she was rebuffed. Upon Victor's return to prison, Ian told him that he was not the one out to get Victor, and offered to help him find out who was. The warden confided in Victor that someone had hired a guard to attack him, and the guard was fired.

Newman sued Jabot for product theft, and Summer was pressured not testify that they had conspired to double deal Pass Key between Billy and Victor. Summer lied to the police, but later felt guilty and told Victoria the truth, which led to Jack and Victoria agreeing to share profits from Pass Key. When Victoria told Victor about her deal, he still felt she was handling Newman all wrong. Victor met with Adam and tried to get him to avenge his death if he were killed.

Ian and Victor conspired to use Victor's prison psychologist, Dr. Meredith Gates, to get Victor out of prison. After hearing the plan, Victor called Ian a smart SOB. Ian punched Victor in his wound and yelled for help. At the infirmary, Meredith said how much Victor reminded her of her father – a son of a bitch, and master of the universe. Her father, Russell "Gateway" Gates was head of the pardon review board. After Victor encouraged her to get to know her father like he never had his, Meredith thanked Victor for helping them to reconcile. Victor and Meredith kissed and eventually had sex.

Victor chose Nick to run Newman, and to get back at Victoria, Victor sold Brash & Sassy using Nikki and Abby's proxy. Victoria lacked the power to stop it, but was able to double the price. Later Billy showed up at her office announcing that he had been the buyer. Nikki reacted by telling Victor she was divorcing him again.

Victor admitted to Meredith that he had altered Sage's journal to frame Adam for Constance's murder. After Michael suggested Victor back off Adam and consider Connor growing up without a father, Victor told Meredith he was thinking of confessing. Meredith said she wouldn't let him do that, vowing that she would get him released. Viewers saw a woman with long dark hair visit Victor and get instructions to carry out Victor's revenge on his family.

At Adam's trial, Victor testified that he loved his son Adam with all his heart, that Ian was a pathological liar, and that Dr. Meredith Gates had made up the story that he had proof that Adam killed Constance because she had feelings for him, humiliating Meredith. Outside the courtroom, Ian managed to get a guard's gun and took Nikki hostage. Victor walked out and in stopping another guard from firing on them, took a bullet in the shoulder fired by Ian. Adam knelt by Victor saying, "Damn you Victor, don't you die on me!" Ian took Nikki to the Abbott cabin where they interrupted Phyllis. He forced Phyllis to tie her up, and he tied up Phyllis. Ian made Nikki call Victor to transfer 5 million dollars to his offshore account. While Ian was quieting Phyllis, Nikki told Victor where they were. Victor convinced Meredith to help him escape. Victor showed up and convinced Ian to let the women go. Alone together, Ian and Victor traded threats. Then after Victor intentionally entered an incorrect password triggering a security alert on his account, Ian suddenly handed Victor the gun and began taunting him about Nikki, encouraging Victor to shoot him. But Victor refused, saying that Ian was his ticket out of prison. Paul and Dylan arrived and captured Ian and Victor. Nikki and Victor looked deeply in each other's eyes as she thanked him for saving her life.

Meredith came to Victor in the hospital, saying she understood that his heart belonged to Nikki, telling him that she might be charged as an accessory or fired. Victor said he would hire the best to defend her. Meredith thought it was time to leave the prison anyway, and she offered to intercede for Victor with her father.

Nikki visited Victor in the hospital, thanked him for saving her, and told him she didn't want the divorce. Victor tearfully said he would love her forever, and didn’t know what he would have done if he had lost her. Dylan told Nikki that Victor's only hope was if the whole family could tell the appeals review board they were overemotional and just looking for payback. Victoria and Abby agreed to forgive Victor and join the plea. But they failed to get Phyllis or Jack to join them.

Viewers were finally shown that Chloe was Victor's minion, helping him without being seen, to plant and alter evidence against his family to get back at them for putting him in prison. She hired forger Frank Ellis to alter Sage's journal and made sure Constance's exhumed body appeared to be poisoned to frame Adam for the murder of Constance Bingham. After Adam agreed to Victor's demands and the real journal pages were to be discovered to exonerate him, Chloe kept them instead. Victor reminded Chloe that he had made sure that her daughter Bella had been taken care of while she was in the sanitarium, and that Bella was still unknown to anyone in Genoa City. Victor was disheartened when Adam ended up taking the plea bargain and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Going straight to Victor from court, Chelsea pulled a scalpel on him, demanding the missing pages. Victor swore he didn't know where they were, but that he would do everything he could to get Adam released.

Abby Victoria, Nick, and Nikki testified about their forgiveness for Victor. Phyllis arrived and vilified him for how he had ruined her marriage and her life. Jack testified that Phyllis was going thru hell, worse than he had while being starved and tied to a bed. Jack told the court that he would never forgive him, but he refused to let Victor's actions impact his life for one more second. Judge Gates cleared the court and told Victor that he had agree to help him for Meredith, but that Victor had to agree to stay out of Meredith's life. Judge Gates declared to the court that he felt Victor had been rehabilitated, and sentenced him to time served, with 2 years of community service with periodic reviews, reminding him that he could be returned to prison at any time during the next 2 years. Nikki and Victor returned to the ranch, and were soon joined by the family. Later Chloe told Victor that she had burned the missing pages, so Adam was finally going to get his punishment.

Adam became dejected in prison. He stopped eating and sleeping, and had delusions of Victor as his guard, taunting him. Adam attacked the guard Matthews, who later went into a coma, and assault charges were filed. Adam refused Michael's advice to plead insanity, pled guilty, and was sentenced to ten years. Adam asked Nick to look out for Connor, the one independent Newman with hope, and to protect him from Victor. But as Adam was led away from the courtroom, he was abducted, thanks to Victor. Victor told Adam when he awoke at a secluded cabin that he had arranged passports and a plane to a foreign country the next morning. The last name on the passports was Erasmus, which means beloved. Meanwhile, Nikki slipped Chelsea a burner phone to call the phone that Victor had given Adam. Chelsea called Adam, then took Connor and left through a passageway between the penthouses that Adam had built years ago. But Connor developed a fever, and needed to be hospitalized. After hearing that the car she was driving was being searched for, Chelsea called Nick to take them to Adam. But as Nick and Chelsea pulled up to the cabin, it exploded. Bone and tissue fragments were later tested and found to have Adam's DNA, and he was declared dead. As a show of remorse, Victor signed a contract to give Chelsea back the 35% of her company that he owned, and he agreed to stay away from her and her son.

First day back at Newman as CEO, Victor resolved the Newman oil crisis with one phone call, sent Victoria and Nick on vacations, and Summer became the new preferred sibling, despite her loyalty to Luca. But Victor resumed investigating Luca, convinced that he was responsible for the oil spills. Luca implicated Travis to Victor as being the culprit. Victoria traveled to Manzanilla to ask Travis to return and convince Summer that Luca was a fraud. Travis refused, but he showed up unexpectedly at the wedding of Summer and Luca and exposed Luca as the oil well saboteur.

Tossing aside a copy of Leanna Love's book "Victor Newman, The Man, The Myth," Victor decided he wanted his life story written from his own point of view. Lauren came to him when her journalist son, Scott Grainger, was being held in the middle east. Victor paid the ten million dollar ransom, arranged for Kevin to act as courier, and Scott was rescued. Out of gratitude, Scott accepted Victor's offer to co-author his biography, including Scott's condition that it be the truth.

A year after Adam's death, on what was supposed to have been her wedding day to Kevin, Chloe met Victor at his private airstrip, threatening to tell everyone that she had helped him frame Adam, that he had sent him to jail, and ultimately to his death. Victor put her on his jet, and apparently gave her a lot of money. As the jet flew off, Nick emerged from the shadows and broke the news to Victor that the reason Chloe was fleeing was that she was the one who had killed Adam by blowing up the cabin. Victor was shattered, and Nick, Victoria and Nikki were furious that once again, Victor had brought a psycho back to Genoa City to do his dirty work that ended up in tragedy. Nikki laid down the law, that they were to never tell of Victor's involvement or that he had arranged Adam's escape. Nick and Victoria agreed there would be no more scandal to further damage their companies. Victor was cut off from the family, though maintaining a public persona of a loving family for the sake of their companies. Victor was to live in the guest house, and the staff signed non-disclosure agreements. Nikki declared family first, no more forgive and forget, and that the days of Victor calling the shots were over. Nick and Victor argued, Nick slugged him, and Faith saw it. So Nick took Faith back home to live with him. Victor started making grand gestures giving Reed a fancy car for 16th birthday, which Victoria sent back. Victor gave Chelsea half a million dollars for her business in Adam's memory. He made Abby acting CEO of Newman and left town going incommunicado on another one of his mysterious disappearances. While he was gone a package arrived for Nikki, inside were drawings for the Nicole Newman Research Center for Neurological Diseases, dedicated to researching MS.

Victor returned in only about a week, not telling anyone that he had tracked down Chloe. Chloe begged for her life, but Victor assured her he was not going to kill her. Chloe asked only that the father of Bella be determined so he could raise her. Victor had Chloe write letters to both Billy and Kevin, and he arranged for them to be mailed from different countries. A few days later, both Kevin and Billy received word from Chloe telling each that they may be Bella's father. A DNA test confirmed that Kevin was, and Bella went to live with him. Victor took Chloe to live with her former psychiatrist Dr. Harris outside New Orleans, paying him well enough to retire, and to keep her drugged. Chelsea and Nick tracked Chloe down. So with Victor's help, Harris staged her suicide, using drugs to make her appear dead. Chelsea discovered Chloe unconscious, Harris pronounced her dead, and both Chelsea and Kevin were devastated. A private funeral was held with Father Todd officiating. Afterward, Harris managed to get Chloe back to his home in Marshall, Louisiana. But Kevin joined them there and stole Chloe away. Harris notified Victor who showed up at their motel room. Victor admitted he had as much to lose if Chloe were found, and let them leave.

Victor received a payment while he was gone from 'Proven Success' which Abby could not explain. So after Nikki talked him out of the biography idea, he hired Scott as senior vice president of special projects to advise, and pretty much keep an eye on Abby. Victor directed Scott to set up a venue for a piano concert by Nikki at Chancellor park pavilion as part of the dedication of the research center. She was upset by his manipulation, but agreed to do it for a good cause. Nikki suddenly disappeared, leaving Victor a note saying she needed to clear her head. But Nikki returned the day before the concert after a stay at a Wellness center in Boulder, CO, seemingly ready to tackle it. On performance night the sound board blew up, and an inspector shut down the concert. But Noah saved the day by bringing a sound board from The Underground. Both Tessa and Nikki were a success, and Nikki was very proud of herself for going ahead with it. Nikki resented Victor who arranged for Hilary to interview Nikki and make her the poster child for successfully living with MS. Victor found out that Nick had sabotaged the sound board to save her from having to go through with it, he slugged Nick and disowned him. Nikki took the opportunity to escape the reception with Jack, who took her away to the Abbott cabin where they spent the night laughing and enjoying each other's company. Nikki returned home determined to make a final break with Victor, moved out, and into the aptly-named Sanctuary hotel. Victor began putting Nikki's activities with Jack under observation.

Under Scott's recommendation, Victor bought a company called Hashtag and put Scott in charge, expecting Scott to turn the company around. Abby's new project was a business incubator to help small businesses get started and share the profits. Her first entrepreneur was Zack Stinnett, a guy with a dating app. On Zack's recommendation, Abby signed up Willie who had a GPS project, and then a third guy. Victor began pitting Abby against Scott, furthering their competition for Victor's favor.

Victor cut Nick off from the family account at the athletic club, kicked him out of the tack house, and began outbidding him on buildings as Nick and Noah tried to create other Underground bars in college towns. But he did help Noah out by expediting the liquor license in the new Ann Arbor, Michigan location. Victor coerced Kevin to return to Genoa City to hack into Nick’s account and drain it, taking back the trust fund Nick had won from Victor. But when Nick notified the bank, the money was returned. Then Nick, in a surprise move, appeared on The Hilary Hour and announced that he was donating his two and a half billion dollar trust fund to the Abbott-Winters Foundation, part of it earmarked for orphanages as an homage to Victor. Everyone in his family told him he was crazy, but Nick said he had all the money he or his children needed, and he hoped this money he was awarded when the children of Victor sued him would no longer come between him and Victor, and Victor agreed to call a truce. That lasted about five minutes as Victor bought the Underground’s liquor distributor, notifying Nick there would be no more discounts. Nick declared he would rather torch the place than see Victor get his hands on it. Later that night, The Underground burned with Reed, Mattie and Charlie trapped inside. They were rescued by Billy, who ended up trapped himself, and was also successfully rescued. The building was declared a total loss. Nick broke it to Noah that after two disasters there where people had almost been killed, he had decided not to rebuild, and was no longer interested in expansion. Point out that it was Noah’s dream, not his, he suggested Noah use his own money and proceed on his own. Then Victor asked Noah if he would like to manage Top of the Tower. Noah declined, but Victoria talked him into it.

after Victoria collapsed and was diagnosed with toxic chemical exposure from her use of Sassy Masks, the FDA tested all her products, and the company’s reputation was ruined. (It was later discovered that Billy was responsible, cutting corners by using unregulated manufacturing, and Victoria fired him.) Hamilton-Winters refused another loan, Billy offered to buy in at 32%, but Victor offered to take the company back under Newman. Victoria agreed, stipulating that they call it a merger, she be made COO, and made known as Victor’s heir apparent. Victor fired his entire PR staff after the plan was leaked. Neil suggested they outsource their PR to his new acquisition Power Communications, and personally took charge. A party had been planned for Top of The Tower to announce the success of Abby and Zack’s app DesignDate, but Victoria and Victor took over announcing the Brash & Sassy merger and Victoria becoming COO. Abby was crushed. Then Crystal grabbed the microphone and accused Zack of using the app as a front for the sex trafficking ring from which she had escaped. Zack hustled Abby to the elevators and they disappeared. Victoria showed she was as ruthless as Victor as they tried to cover up what had happened with Abby in the hands of a murderer. To top it off, the FBI arrived, seized the Newman computers and froze its assets. Victoria’s only concern appeared to be Newman, not her missing sister Abby, as she tried to remedy the damage. Abby did turn up, after a couple of harrowing days being locked in a storage building with Scott Grainger and held at gunpoint by her lover Zack, then watching Zack being shot dead. Victoria welcomed them home by shutting down Scott’s Hashtag webzine, calling a press conference, and giving Abby a statement to read taking responsibility away from Newman for DesignDate and the sex ring, which make Abby look pathetic, inexperienced, and naïve. Abby and Scott edited the statement infuriating Victoria. Scott managed to get Hashtag back up ad published the full story. Called to Victoria’s office, Abby quit her job. Scott had planned to quit too, but because his Hashtag article was trending, she gave Scott a raise and a bonus, and reinstated Hashtag. Abby felt double crossed again. When Victor found out, he refused Abby’s resignation, told Victoria was wrong and agreeing with Abby that he would have resigned too. Abby agreed to return with stipulations that she report directly to Victor, she get an office with theirs, a bump in title and salary. She let Victoria know that she would never forget that she was willing to let Abby leave while giving Scott a fat bonus.

Paul and Christine brought in J.T. Helstrom as an online investigator for the U.S. Treasury Department to investigate Newman. The company checked out clean, but there had been a large online offshore money transfer in Victor’s personal bank account. Victoria confessed that the offshore transfer had actually been done by Nikki, stealing money from Victor, and together they had approached J.T. asking for his help to exonerate Victor and keeping Nikki out of prison for embezzlement, but J.T. had refused. Surprisingly though, J.T. came to Victoria and Victor, telling them the investigation was over, with a bank error listed as his findings. Victor thanked him and asked that he be the one to give Nikki the news. J.T. agreed. Instead, Victor made a deal with Nikki that he would get her exonerated if she agreed to move back in with him. Not wanting to go to prison, Nikki agreed to play Mrs. Victor Newman, sleep in the guestroom, if he would agree to support a number of her charities. Nikki was livid when Victoria told her she had been duped by Victor again. But she decided it would serve them both well to go ahead with their agreement since Victor could still report her and she still knew secrets that could send Victor back to prison as well. Victor got the press to cover their reuniting, and Nikki explained the entire deal to Nick and Victoria. Nikki bested Victor by outbidding him to buy Chancellor Park from the city because Victor had intended to develop it, leaving only a plaque in memory of Katherine. They publicly renewed their vows on New Years Eve 2017.

Victor and Nikki tag-teamed Ashley to get her to work at Newman as Chief Innovation Officer, given a seat on the board, and put in charge of Brash & Sassy without telling Victoria, even expecting them to share an office while Ashley’s was being renovated. Victoria and Ashley clashed continually, but Victor seemed to enjoy their competition. Ashley got Blundons, a small east coast cosmetic chain to sell to Brash & Sassy, angering Victoria who had been working on the same acquisition. Ashley was suddenly accused by Victoria in Victor’s presence, of spying at Newman for Jabot, citing confidential files with Ashley’s watermark that were found in Jack’s desk by J.T. Ashley told Victor she had been setup. Victor ended up firing Ashley, but expected her to resign. Instead Ashley gave the press a quote that she had been fired without cause because spoiled daughter Victoria could not handle real competition. Promising Victoria would destroy Newman like she did Brash & Sassy, Ashley announced she was suing Newman for wrongful termination. Abby, after many successes in Paris, decided to return with Victor’s blessing, just in time to witness her mother Ashley being fired from Newman. Incensed, Abby took it upon herself to find evidence that Jack and Victoria had set her up to appear to be spying for Jabot. Against Ashley’s wishes, Abby took it to Victor telling him he had fired the wrong person. Victor confronted Victoria with it, and she claimed that Ashley was not good for Newman, so she had taken care of it. Victor asked Ashley to return and promised that Victoria would no longer be a problem, but Ashley agreed only if Victoria were fired.

J.T. searched Victor’s home office, cracked the safe, and found a key inside. Afterward, Victor watched video taken from inside the safe, had J.T. followed, and had surveillance cameras installed at Victoria’s – just in time to record a big fight where J.T. got verbally abusive and violent. Victoria slapped him, he grabbed her around the neck leaving bruises, shoved her against a wall, and slammed his fist into it, right next to her face.

Victor told J.T. he was leaving town, so J.T. returned the next day looking for whatever the key would fit. Victor appeared, showed him the videos of him being inside his safe and choking Victoria, saying, ”How dare you lay hands on my daughter!” Victor accused J.T. of working for Paul and Christine. J.T. replied how he enjoyed taking Victor down because he was the reason Colleen was dead. Victor told him to get out of town, that he was a loser, or he would ruin his life with Victoria and his kids. It got physical and J.T. caused Victor to tumble down the stairs. J.T. left Victor unconscious, taking Victor’s tablet computer, he then removed the camera from Victoria’s house.

Jack found Victor and called 911, but was later arrested for suspected murder of Victor. J.T. accompanied Victoria on frequent visits to Victor’s hospital bed while he was in a coma. J.T. snuck in one night and disconnected Victor’s breathing tube. Victor was saved in time, but suffered a minor stroke. Jabot head chemist, Helen Wallace, was caught by Nick sneaking in and out to see Victor, and claimed to be having an affair with him. Nikki took over running Newman Enterprises. When Victor began regaining consciousness, J.T. convinced Victoria to leave town with him to Hawaii with the family. Once they were there, he tried to convince her not to return. After J.T. took away her phone, Victoria used his and discovered he had been texting Paul for months spying on Victor. Victoria broke up with J.T. and took the kids home. Victor managed to communicate to Nick that J.T. had been his assailant, Jack was freed, and J.T. mysteriously disappeared. Neither the police nor Victor’s operatives were able to find him. Victor was released, and began his recovery at home, confined to a wheelchair, but not for long. After spending so much time together during Victor’s coma and recovery, they agreed to end their respective affairs and resume their marriage. Nick had a change of heart and agreed to return to Newman. But when he discovered that he was replacing Victoria, he refused to screw over his sister, announced that he was remarrying Sharon and moving to San Diego. Victor stopped him by suing for custody of Christian and exposing that he was actually Adam’s son by Sage, not Nick’s. Nick won custody, but declared war on Victor.

Kyle Abbott returned to town still loyal to Victor, who convinced him to work for Jabot and spy for him rather that join Newman as Kyle had hoped. Kyle brought Victor a video of Dina Mergeron admitting that Jack had not been fathered by Jack. Victor showed up uninvited to the movie the Abbotts had made of Dina’s memoirs before they disappeared from Alzheimer’s. The clip was mysteriously included in the movie, stunning Jack who had idolized John all his life. Victor gave condolences then laughed when Jack turned to leave. DNA tests proved it was true, and Jack was replaced by Billy as CEO of Jabot due to a clause in their bylaws limiting that position to only a blood-Abbott. Accused by Kyle of rigging the movie to hurt Jack, Victor denied it.

Three months after his disappearance an old credit card of J.T’s began being used, and there were sightings, each coming closer to Genoa City. Victoria received an anonymous email from someone whose goal was to destroy Newman Enterprises. Boxes full of confidential Newman information, contracts, salaries, etc. were delivered, all dated during J.T.’s tenure at Newman. J.T.’s credit card had been used to ship them from Fort Dodge, Iowa. Victor’s medical file was leaked to the news, and his ability to run Newman was questioned. He appeared live on The Hilary Hour, but he dropped a glass, stammered, and seemed disoriented before wildly threatening J.T. Victor received a message to meet J.T. inside an abandoned building, and refused Nikki’s advice to call the police, causing her to believe that Victor intended to kill him. Viewers saw a dark-haired man remove a J.T. mask and place a diagram on a wall containing Newman photos connecting to a central photo of J.T. It turned out that Nick had gotten the Newman security codes from J.T.’s phone, hired someone to break into the Newman server and expose Victor’s medical records, and got a prosthetic expert to make him a face of J.T. to make it look like J.T. was behind it all. Nick formed a new company, Dark Horse, and began accumulating the companies that Victor was losing due to his ill health. Sharon, Summer, Victoria, Nikki, and Abby received invitations to join Dark Horse. Nick told them that Noah had resigned from Newman to head up Dark Horse London. Abby joined them doing marketing and PR. Summer refused to choose between parents and stayed at Fenmore’s. Victoria stayed at Newman, after Victor gave her back the COO position and made her heir to the company. Jack also signed on to Dark Horse as an executive consultant and board member. Victor asked Nikki to head the Newman real estate division, pitting her against her son. Victor showed up to the Dark Horse launch party to watch Rey announce that he was a detective and arrest Nick as the one who paid a guy to hack into the Newman server as aiding, abetting, and colluding with J.T. Helstrom. Nick’s lawyer Brittany got him immunity to tell all that he had done, and he and Rey parted friends. A press release exonerated Nick, and Rey admitted that he had been brought in to find out what happened to J.T. Arturo found J.T.’s watch in Chancellor park, and the case became a murder investigation. Rey questioned Nikki, Nick, and Victoria with Michael as her lawyer. He requested Victor return from Singapore immediately. Instead Victor went off the grid, even his cellphone became a non-working number.

The Newman stables burned to the ground, leaving behind a shirt with J.T.s blood on it and a gun traced to Victor so he became the prime suspect in J.T.’s death. Nikki was struck by a car and ended up with a brain contusion and unconscious. She was on her deathbed when Victor managed to sneak in during the night and get her to wake up. Victor coerced Dr. Nate into helping him take Nikki away in an ambulance to safety. But her blood pressure spiked on the way. Afraid she would die, Nate went back for medication and met Victor at an airstrip. The plane took off, but the police were able to stop the plane, and Victor was arrested for kidnapping. Nikki claimed she made Victor take her out of the country for protection and would sue for wrongful prosecution. Nate and Nikki were cleared of charges, but Victor was arrested for J.T.’s murder. Stubborn Victor refused a lawyer. Nikki checked herself out of Memorial and went to see Victor in jail. Victor realized that Nikki had killed J.T. Nick brought in Michael as his lawyer, and Victor was released under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

Katie began playing with an invisible friend who lived in Victor’s house. When Nikki fell asleep on the couch, Katie disappeared. Billy and Victoria arrived and they found her inside a wall crawlspace that was outfitted in surveillance equipment. Victor became convinced that J.T. was alive and out for revenge. Meanwhile the police received an email with audio of Nick and Victor discussing hiding a murder weapon, and Victor saying that J.T. had to die. Christine set the trial for the following day. When they arrived to escort Victor to the trial, Nikki admitted that she had killed J.T., and was arrested. Nikki claimed that she followed J.T. from Victoria’s to the park, killed him in self-defense, and buried him there. But Rey got Sharon to confess the true story of how Nikki had killed J.T. as he attacked Victoria, and Sharon and Phyllis had helped them bury his body in Chancellor park.

Nikki was charged with second degree intentional homicide and obstruction of justice, and Sharon and Victoria for being a party to both. Phyllis turned states evidence and became the star witness for the prosecution. Victor kept interrupting during the trial and was thrown out of the courtroom for the duration. All three were found guilty and sentenced to prison. On their way to prison it was arranged for them to escape and hide out at the Abbott cabin to trap J.T. after Nick had finally convinced detective Rey he was alive. But J.T. knocked out the guards and held the three women with hands and feet zip-tied inside. J.T. ranted at them for trying to kill him and bury him alive, and began smashing things. He explained that he had been buried over a storm drain, his body had fallen in and sent out to the river. Writhing in pain, J.T. ruptured the fireplace gas line by wielding a poker. He passed out from the pain, and the women from the gas. Billy, Nick and Victor rescued them. Victor welcomed Nikki home with hugs, kisses, and jewelry.

On April 23, 2019, Lily was released from prison, and Neil was there to welcome her. They traveled to Genoa City to attend the grand opening of Society, a new restaurant venture by Devon and Abby Newman, featuring head chef Lola Rosales. Neil felt exhausted and laid down for a nap upstairs at Devon’s penthouse, promising to meet them there later. When Neil failed to show up, Devon went home to check on him. Devon came down his stairway in tears, having discovered that Neil had died of a stroke in his sleep. Everyone in Genoa City Neil whose life Neil had touched was saddened and shocked by the news of the death of their friend. Family and friends gathered for Neil’s funeral in tears, where his foster daughter Ana sang “Amazing Grace”. They shared remembrances and stories of how Neil had touched their lives and made them better. Nikki was chocked up, remembering all the times Neil had been there for her, and rescued her. Victor remembered Neil for his honesty, fairness, and integrity. As a friend and family member Victor said he had watched with pride how Neil had excelled at Newman, then left to form his own successful businesses, ending with “I shall miss you my friend.” Everyone then gathered at Devon’s penthouse to celebrate Neil’s life, reminiscing, honoring, and playing his favorite jazz. Malcolm took a group photo. He ended it with a toast; “to Neil Ellis Winters, music lover, businessman, philanthropist, humanitarian, best friend, father, grandfather, best brother you could ask for.” Neil’s will was read a month later by Michael Baldwin. Nikki was left Katherine’s atlas which Kay had marked from her trip around the world before she died. To Victor, the most intimidating man I know, a humidor of fine cigars and Neil’s Newman nameplate.

Almost three years after his death, an associate of Victor told him that he had spotted someone who looked like Adam working as a professional gambler in Las Vegas, going by the name of “Spider”. Victor tracked him down and pressured Adam to return to Genoa City with him. Spider told him that if he was Adam, he had had no memory since 2016, which coincided with the explosion he supposedly died in. Spider’s story was that he woke up on a freight train, got off and went to a nearby bar, where he got into a poker game, and won money for clothes and transportation to the next game. Spider met Riza Thompson, queen of the Las Vegas underground poker scene who became his backer, bankrolling him to the big time. People had told him he resembled Adam Newman, but he had looked him up on the Internet, and didn’t like him, didn’t want to be him. Victor absolved Adam of his crimes with judges and the governor, but Spider refused Victor’s plea. Meanwhile Nikki had hired Rey Rosales to find Victor. Rey and Sharon tracked Victor to Vegas. Victor confronted them, then told Sharon that her former husband Adam was alive, and asked her to convince Adam to return to Genoa City. Sharon was shocked to see that he really was Adam. Sharon was unable to spark a memory, but convinced Adam to return to Genoa City with them, and Victor put Adam up in the tack house on the ranch.

After meeting and being rebuffed by his family, Adam decided to disappear, but was shot in the gut as he opened the door to leave. Sharon heard the shot and found him in a pool of blood. Adam woke up in the hospital, his memory returned. Later a man turned himself in as the gunman, saying he was from Vegas, and that Adam had wiped him out financially. Paul was skeptical.

Adam told Nick and Victoria that Victor had promised that Adam would become head of Newman if he would stay, so offered them a deal; he would leave town if they gave him 500 million dollars, the whereabouts of Chelsea and his son Connor, and for Nick to turn over Adam’s son Christian. Nick told Adam to go to hell. Victor walked in on them, Victoria recounted it all for Victor, who scoffed as Adam looked on. Victoria later gave Adam fifty million dollars and Chelsea’s cell number. Even Adam buying out Nick’s 27 million dollar loan and taking control of Dark Horse did not dissuade Nick. Victor refused to give Nick money to save Dark Horse.

Nate had been secretly treating Victor for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, a rare blood disease that destroys red cells. When experimental treatment had no effect, Nikki persuaded Victor to tell the family. Victor opted for another treatment with side-affects which included diminished mental capacity. He became forgetful, and a one point experienced an episode where his only hope was to ask Jack for help. Although he intended to fight it and win, Victor discussed putting Adam in charge of Newman, which made Victoria furious. After Adam filed a custody suit against Nick hoping to gain custody of Christian, Victor asked him to drop the lawsuit. Adam refused and Victor washed his hands of Adam, and told him to get off his property. In a touching scene, Victor apologized to Nick for a lifetime of selling him short, and Nick forgave him. Victor made Victoria CEO while he took some time off. Victor asked Nick to be her COO, Nick declined, but they formed an alliance against Adam.

Victor became forgetful, the side-affects were getting worse. Victor visited Jack at Jabot, and had an episode in the parking garage. When his doctor didn’t answer, Victor called Jack who rescued him. Jack told Victor he genuinely felt bad to think that he might have lost his favorite rival to a rare blood disease. Nate realized that someone had tampered with Victor’s medication, as test results showed double his dosage. Victor called a family meeting saying he was going to Europe, and taking Nate with him. Victor suddenly collapsed, had no pulse, an ambulance was called, but Victor was declared dead. It turned out to be a plot of Victor’s to prove that Adam had tampered with his meds, hoping he would show remorse. Nate, Nikki, Billy, Victoria, Nick, Abby and Paul were all in on it. Adam was wracked with guilt, saying he never meant to kill his father. Phyllis told Adam to get over it, that now was their chance to take over Newman. Adam decided to return to his life in Vegas instead, and handed Phyllis the keys to his penthouse. He said goodbye to Connor, and made him cry. Adam stopped by the ranch and found Victor at the chess board. Adam applauded and told Victor, “Well played.” Adam apologized sobbing, saying it proved what a terrible person he was, that he hoped one day Victor would forgive him, but he would get out of their lives. Nikki walked in but Adam had disappeared. Victor brought Michael in on the plan saying he had forgiven Adam and didn’t want him pursued. Victor apologized but he felt his life was in danger, and Newman life went on as usual. Nate felt conned, and told Abby they were over, that he felt like he had to throw away his conscience to be with her and her family. Then the medical board tried to take away his license to practice in Wisconsin. Nate hired Amanda Sinclair, his case being he had gone along with it because he thought Victor’s life was in danger. Amanda won the case.

Victor took the CEO position back and demoted Victoria, who was livid that he done it to her it again. Victoria vowed that Victor was not getting away with it this time, and threw a letter opener at his portrait in anger. Victor was quite shocked when he returned to his office and saw the letter opener still stabbed into the portrait. Victoria confronted Victor, standing her ground that she had earned the CEO position. She gave Victor an ultimatum, and for once in his life, Victor gave in, but told her she had lost his respect.

In February 2020, the Newman Enterprises 50th anniversary gala which honored Victor was held. Noah had created an amazing gallery of Victor photographic art, with both a light show, and darkness. Everyone was impressed. Old friends, enemies, and family attended including Victor’s ex-wife Julia and brother Matt. Most gave short speeches in appreciation of Victor, even Christine, saying all was forgiven. During the event, Victoria was stabbed in the side, a case of mistaken identity, and taken away in an ambulance.

While Victoria was recovering, Victor let Adam assume he would become interim CEO. But Phyllis convinced Nick to take the job instead. Adam declared war and Chelsea joined him. She accepted Adam’s marriage proposal, and they with Connor traveled to Kansas, to plan the wedding at Hope’s farm. They found the farm in disrepair and stayed in a B&B instead. Adam hired someone to rehab the farm, and met with Alyssa Montalvo, a crime reporter who had been his best friend since kindergarten. Alyssa’s late father A.J., had been a known loan shark who had gone to prison for tax evasion. Between the two of them, they discovered that Adam’s adoptive father Cliff had died at the hands of A.J.’s hitman when Cliff was unable to pay back loans. Then A.J. died falling from a barn loft shortly after Victor had come to town to console Hope. Alyssa wrote the exposé of his murder and cover-up by Victor, and Adam convinced her to give it and the evidence to him to be published. Instead, Adam blackmailed Victor into making him CEO, astounding everyone when Victor backed down. Except for Nikki, who had badgered Victor until he told her the real story. Adam’s tenure was short-lived when Victoria returned as CEO and exposed that the real murderer of A.J. had been 11-year-old Adam who had blocked it out. Victor explained that he had flown to Hope and found Adam catatonic. George, the farm caretaker had moved the body, and Victor had bribed the coroner. Hope had not attended the funeral so as not to jog Adam’s memory. Adam refused to believe it, but was disappointed in Chelsea that she did. Determined to expose Victor’s lie, Adam invited George to Genoa City. George reluctantly admitted it was true. Adam ran away to the farm in Kansas. Hiding under the kitchen table like he used to as a kid, he remembered everything, including killing A.J. Adam returned to Genoa City claiming to be a changed man and eager to please Victor.

Victoria sold off the media division of Newman to Chancellor, it was renamed ChanceComm, and run by Lily Winters and Billy. Victor coerced Ashland Locke into selling Cyaxares Media to him, renamed it Newman Media, and put his new favorite son Adam in charge. The media war started between the two companies. Victoria and Ashland merged their companies and became Newman-Locke and Nikki became COO. Ashland and Victoria fell in love and were married at the Newman Tuscany villa which Victor gave them as a wedding present.

Ashland went into remission and joined Victoria as partners running their merged companies. Victoria offered to buy Newman Media back from Victor, and he accepted it, insisting that Adam stay on as CEO. Victor began to suspect Ashland had faked his illness to secure the merger, then recover and take over. Victor hired Michael Baldwin to look into the clinic in Peru where Ashland had gotten his miracle cure. Michael discovered that Ashland had been financing the clinic for years. When asked, Ashland told Victor that a colleague had been dying there, had faith in their protocol but the clinic needed financial help to survive. So Ashland wrote a check. He felt it was karma now that his investment had saved his own life. Ashland admitted he had not told Victoria about it due to his somewhat shady use of a shell company and funds transfers to make it happen. Then Michael sent Victor an interview with a doctor who had quit his job at that clinic because he didn't agree with their protocols. The doctor admitted that Ashland had paid the clinic a large sum of money to fake his cancer and recovery. When Ashland found out that Michael had been talking to that doctor, he requested Victoria make him Co-CEO of Newman-Locke. Victoria initially objected, then said she would have the papers drawn up. Ashland presented Victoria with the papers. Meanwhile Victor was informing Adam and Nick.

Victor confronted Ashland, "The charade is over", warning him he was not going to hurt his family, especially Victoria, who was never to know that he played her for a fool. Victor commanded he tell Victoria his cancer has returned, go to Peru, call Victoria and ask for a divorce, no reason, no argument, then disappear. Ashland refused, reminding Victor that Victoria would never accept it. Victoria walked in on them and insisted the contract be signed. Ashland started to sign, then faked an attack and left. Instead of obeying Victor, Ashland told Victoria that Victor was claiming that he had proof that Ashland's cancer was a hoax. When Victor called Ashland threatening him again to tell Victoria, Ashland answered "Do it." Victor and Lauren both became concerned that they had stopped hearing from Michael. Victor did receive Michael's mailed copies of bank statements showing Locke Communications radio division subsidiary made fund transfers to the doctor's account which he gave to Victoria to help convince her of the truth.

Victoria refused to believe Victor, Nick or her mother's accusations that Ashland had been using her to take control of Newman, going so far as to say they feared he would do something to her to gain sole control. Ashland tried to calm her by suggesting they spend some time at the villa in Tuscany. So the family, including Adam, held a group intervention letting her know that Nate had had found no evidence of cancer on the x-rays following Ashland's heart attack as he claimed, also no record of Ashland getting chemo treatments. Ashland barged in and Victoria asked him for an explanation. Seeing that Victoria was convinced, he told her he had given up. No matter what he said, they would have other accusations, and he left. Victoria broke into tears in her mother's arms. A distraught Victoria took off into the dense fog, a car veered toward her and she ended up unconscious trapped in her car which had started on fire. Luckily Ashland had followed her out of concern but had also been hit. He managed to free himself from his car and rescue Victoria just before her car exploded into flames. Victoria suffered a sprained knee and bump on her forehead and Ashland had severely burned hands and was limping. The driver of the car who hit them turned out to be Rey Rosales who had a heart attack and died. Victor said he was grateful to Ashland but told him to get out of town. Adam offered Ashland a half-billion dollars for Ashland to walk away from the company and Victoria. Victor paid it himself. After Victoria refused to forgive him, Ashland took the deal.

Weeks went by, Ashland living at the Grand Phoenix, refused to leave town. Trying to make amends, Ashland donated $250,000 to New Hope in the name of recently deceased Rey Rosales. Michael and Victor, with the consent of Kyle, had a restraining order issued to keep Ashland away from Harrison, further pushing him to leave. But out of the blue, Victoria let the family know that she still loved Ashland, this was her chance to break free, and she and Ashland left for New York City where they started planning their new business and where to live there. Victor made Adam CEO of Newman in hopes it would entice Victoria to return. Nikki returned to her COO position to better keep an eye on Adam. Adam made Sally CEO of Newman Media. When Victor found out that Victoria and Ashland were shopping for investors for their new business, he put the word out reminding them that Ashland “was dying”. No investor was interested in financing a startup whose CEO was dying, and they all backed away. So the couple decided to finance it themselves. But it turned out to have been a setup by Victoria for revenge. She had opened a bank account for their new company, and after Ashland deposited his 250 million dollars, Victoria transferred the money and closed the account. She told off Ashland and returned home triumphant