At GC Buzz, Hilary and Howard edited the footage of Victor and Nick's confrontation in the parking lot. Hilary crossed over to Mariah and hoped she wasn't still upset by Hilary's words of wisdom earlier. Mariah believed that the intimate conversation that Hilary had claimed to have had with Devon had never happened. Mariah asserted that Devon wouldn't lie to someone he didn't love anymore, nor would he lie to Mariah. Hilary taunted that Devon hadn't needed to say anything, and she sauntered off.

Later, Mariah revealed to Hilary that Devon had admitted that he and Hilary had unresolved issues, but Mariah wasn't threatened. Hilary scoffed at the idea that Mariah was fine with her boyfriend pining away for his ex-wife, and she found it adorable that Mariah believed that she was enough for Devon, since he was insatiable. As Tessa walked in, Hilary described Devon making love to her on the kitchen floor. Mariah retorted that Hilary was assuming that he was enough for Mariah. Hilary stepped away, and Tessa applauded Mariah for not letting Hilary get to her.

Howard showed Hilary the final footage, and she told him to "promote the hell" out of it. She bragged that the story was untouchable because Victor had given his blessing, but Howard was baffled about why Victor had agreed. Hilary thought all they needed to know was that they were scratching one another's backs.

Tessa informed Mariah that Noah had opened up to her about some personal stuff, and it had felt nice to be trusted. Tessa added that Mariah was the only person she could talk to about it, but Mariah kept glancing over at Hilary. Tessa suggested they get out of there to get away from Hilary. Hilary greeted Tessa and praised her performance at the concert. Mariah announced that Tessa had been one of the first artists who Devon had signed to his company's streaming service, and Hilary congratulated Tessa.

Mariah gushed about how Devon had seen Tessa's incredible talent, and Tessa remarked that sometimes people just knew when something felt right, like a certain spark between two people. Hilary thought it was neat that Tessa and Devon had made a connection, but Tessa clarified that she'd been talking about Mariah and Devon's off-the-charts chemistry that made her want to write a song and name it after the two of them. Hilary returned to work, and Mariah thanked Tessa, who proclaimed that Hilary couldn't mess with "my girl, Mariah."

At the Ashby home, Lily told Neil that her kids were "going through hell," but she thought they would pull together as a family. Neil questioned whether that family included Cane, and Lily lamented that the twins' world had been shaken, so she didn't want to rush into a decision. Neil advised that staying together for the kids' sake wasn't always the best option, and he asked how certain she felt that she and Cane could fix things. She recalled that they'd gotten through tough times before, but Neil thought that one was different because another woman and an unborn child were involved.

Lily knew that things would never be the same, but she still loved Cane. She wondered if it made her a fool, but Neil said it made her human. Neil acknowledged that Cane was a solid man who was committed to her and the twins, but he questioned what they'd do when Juliet's pregnancy became public knowledge. Lily recounted that she'd told Cane that he had to be there for the child, and Neil found her strength of character admirable. Lily remembered that Cane had stood by her when she'd made mistakes, and Neil encouraged her to consider whether she could do the same thing for Cane.

Charlie angrily confronted Reed at Crimson Lights, and he told Reed not to act ignorant about what had happened between Charlie's dad and Reed's mom. Reed acknowledged that Victoria had needed to fire Cane, but Charlie clarified that Victoria hadn't had to mess up their family. Reed defended that Charlie couldn't blame him, but Charlie stood ominously close to Reed and warned Reed not to bother Mattie. Reed contended that it was Mattie's decision, and Mattie intervened and demanded to know why the boys were always getting into it.

Reed understood that Charlie was upset about what had happened with Cane, and he wished that he could have done something. Mattie informed Charlie that Reed had offered to talk to his mom, and Reed ranted that his mom hadn't been the one who'd lied during the lawsuit. Charlie barked that Juliet had made up the sexual harassment story, but Reed countered that Cane had actually slept with her. Charlie stormed off, and Mattie contemplated whether Reed should just stay away from her.

Reed said he'd been thinking about Mattie a lot, and he'd thought he'd upset her. Mattie explained that she'd been keeping busy to avoid thinking about the disaster her dad had turned their family into, and Reed said he felt bad, but he hadn't been able to handle Charlie putting down Victoria. Mattie thought Charlie didn't want to believe it had been their dad's fault, and Reed recounted that he'd learned early that parents were just people who made mistakes and hurt one another. Mattie was sure that Lily still loved Cane with her whole heart, and Reed hoped Mattie's family was one of the lucky ones.

Mattie said she'd been reading Victorian novels that talked about fate and people who were meant to be together. She continued that she'd thought fate only existed in movies and books, but meeting Reed and finding out about their connections had gotten her thinking. She mused that she'd been dealing with the worst thing that had ever happened to her, but he was able to understand and make her feel better. Reed took Mattie's hands in his as Charlie returned and glared at them.

At Jabot, Abby demanded to know why Jack had been kissing her stepmother. Abby realized that her father had been upset because Nikki had disappeared from the party with Jack, but Jack swore that he wasn't responsible for any problems Nikki and Victor were having. Abby threatened to tell Victor about what she'd walked in on, and Jack smugly replied, "By all means, be my guest."

Jack asserted that a couple had to be together for him to get between them, but Victor had walked out on Nikki. Abby protested that she'd worked on the concert for weeks because Victor had done it all for Nikki, and she thought it was obvious that Victor loved his wife. Abby warned that her dad would go after Jack if Jack was trying to confuse Nikki, and Jack told Abby to start sounding more like an Abbott. Abby snapped that she'd be the one caught in the crossfire if he started the war again, so she'd do what she had to do. She ordered Jack not to make her choose and stormed out.

At Brash & Sassy, Victoria swallowed some aspirin as she spoke on the phone to a recruiter about needing a top-level executive to start immediately. She wasn't pleased with what the recruiter had to offer, and she snapped at them to do their job so she could do hers.

Cane met Devon at the Athletic Club. Cane recognized how Devon felt about him, but Devon replied that his only concern was about his sister and her kids. Cane mentioned that he'd told the twins everything, and they'd been angry and blindsided because Cane and Lily's marriage had been at its best up until then. Devon was skeptical, and Cane admitted that Lily was struggling, especially since there was another child involved.

Devon mentioned that he'd heard Victoria had let Cane go, and Cane complained that Juliet had gotten a payout for lying about something he hadn't done. Devon countered that Cane had lied, as well, and he recalled that he'd told Cane not to lie to Lily, but Cane had allowed her to defend him. Cane insisted that Lily knew that he hadn't harassed Juliet or coerced her into having sex, but Devon flatly stated that Cane had made a fool of Lily. Cane snapped that at least he hadn't sneaked around behind his wife's back to live a lie, and Devon asked if Cane really wanted to go there.

Cane owned the fact that he'd screwed up, and he vowed to "fight like hell" to save his family. He recognized how much family meant to Devon, and he admitted that although it was hard to ask, he needed a job. Cane pointed out that Devon and Neil needed an executive with experience, and he believed he could make an immediate impact. Devon agreed that it was a big thing to ask, and he said he had to discuss it with Neil first. Cane pledged to work hard to prove himself, and he stressed that all he was asking for was a chance.

Across the dining room, Phyllis suggested to Billy that they go to the Underground to listen to music and dance, but he had to go back to the office. She teased him for being all work and no play, and he stressed that he didn't want to but he had to, since he had to get in front of things before Cane did something to damage the company. Billy griped that Cane was always blaming Victoria for everything that had gone wrong in his miserable life, and all hands had to be on deck. Phyllis quipped that the other deckhands had walked the plank, so only Billy and Victoria were left.

Billy explained that he'd helped rebuild Brash & Sassy, so it meant a lot to him. He referred to what Phyllis and Lauren had done with the virtual dressing room, and he said their drive and persistence had inspired him. He thought he and Victoria had to do something as genius and profitable, and he insisted that work had to be his focus right then. Phyllis swore that she understood, and Victoria summoned Billy to the office via a text message. Phyllis offered to take care of the check, and he thanked her and kissed her goodbye. Phyllis gazed over at Cane and muttered to herself, "Thank you, Cane, for being such a screwup."

Later, Jack noted that Phyllis was at the office late, and she explained that Billy was also working, so she'd likely be there all night. Jack figured that Billy was digging Brash & Sassy out of a hole based on the latest sales figures, and Phyllis remarked that it couldn't be happening at a worse time with Cane gone. Jack thought Victoria firing Cane had been the right move. He pointedly added that it was a good thing for Lily, since it was too awkward for spouses to work together when one of them had cheated. He asked if Phyllis would agree.

Phyllis told Jack that Cane's life had blown up and that he blamed Victoria for it, and she noted that Billy and Cane were like oil and water. She acknowledged that Billy hadn't been sorry to see Cane go, but Jack argued that Cane had been the one to close the Asian deal. Jack contemplated whether to give Cane a call to set up a meeting, and Phyllis recognized that Cane knew the industry. Jack suspected that Cane knew where the bodies were buried at Brash & Sassy, but he wondered what was in it for Phyllis.

Jack was surprised that Phyllis was encouraging him to recruit Cane, but she claimed that she'd simply been talking about Cane being a pain in Billy's backside. Jack noted that she was living with one of the two remaining executives working at Brash & Sassy who was working with his ex, and he imagined that it would give Phyllis peace at home if Jack were to use Cane's knowledge to take over the company and kick Victoria to the curb. Phyllis wished Jack a good night and exited. He left a voicemail for Cane with a request to set up a meeting.

At the Athletic Club bar, Devon told Neil that Cane had pitched himself for an executive position. While Devon was still furious with Cane, he also understood that Cane was trying to provide for his family. Devon imagined how Cane's interviews would go once employers found out why he'd been fired from his last job, and he didn't believe that Cane had sexually harassed Juliet. Neil argued that they knew Cane had lied, but Devon was the last person to judge anyone who'd lied about having sex. Devon insisted that it was about their family, and he questioned how they could turn their backs on Cane.

Neil understood that Devon wanted to help Lily, but he thought they needed to consider the possibility that things could go south with Cane and Lily's marriage. Neil worried that getting stuck with bad blood could be a problem for their new business, and he recounted that Cane had "lied like hell" when he'd been backed into a corner. Neil recognized that Cane had talent, but he thought they were better off not letting family problems into their company. Devon realized that sometimes he had to be able to say no.

Billy burst into Brash & Sassy, prepared to talk up the company's bright future to their retailers. Victoria groaned that she was up to her eyeballs with replacing Cane, and Billy asked whether she thought the two of them couldn't pull it off. Billy thought they were better off without Cane, despite the extra hours, and he thought there was extra incentive in making his big brother eat his words. Billy reported that Jack had been there to gloat about their poor sales figures and to offer to buy them out. They were surprised when Abby entered and declared that she was there to say something important in person.

Abby said she wanted to apologize for causing Victoria's fall and to make sure her sister was okay, and Billy realized that the spill had been more than a moment of klutziness. Lily interrupted with a work-related question, and Billy led her into the lab for privacy. Lily explained that she was her family's sole breadwinner while Cane was looking for a job, and she wanted to get back in touch with Barry about finding her extra work. Billy reminded Lily that she was under an exclusive contract for modeling with Brash & Sassy, but he agreed that she could do it as long as there were no conflicts with her duties there.

Meanwhile, Victoria insisted to Abby that she'd already forgotten the drink-throwing incident, and Abby was surprised that Victoria hadn't told Billy about it. Abby rambled on about how the situation could have been different, but the sound of Abby's voice became muffled inside Victoria's head, and Victoria struggled to focus. Abby asked if they were okay, and Victoria asked if Abby was there for another reason. Abby closed the door and revealed that she'd walked in on Jack and Nikki kissing.

Abby worried that Jack welcomed the idea of restarting the war between the families, and she begged Victoria to talk Nikki out of whatever she was doing to infuriate Victor. Victoria advised Abby to stay out of it, since it was a family matter that didn't concern Abby. Abby argued that when the bomb exploded, she'd be hit with the fallout as the only Newman with Abbott blood. Victoria testily asked if Abby expected Victoria to follow her around with an umbrella, and Abby spat that she'd thought Victoria would "give a damn" about Nikki torching her marriage. Abby stormed out.

Billy inquired why Abby had left in a huff, and Victoria bemoaned that the week couldn't get any worse, since Abby had seen Nikki making out with Jack. Billy was appalled, but Victoria thought it was in character for Jack, since starting trouble in her family was Jack's one joy in life. Billy lectured that it took two, and Victoria chided Billy for defending his brother's "classic Abbott bad-boy behavior." Victoria's thoughts became fuzzy as Billy defended himself, and she couldn't concentrate on what he was saying. She snapped that she'd better not catch his brother on the elevator, making out with her mom.

Cane returned home and told Lily that he'd asked Devon for a job, but Devon had needed to discuss it with Neil. Cane refused to get his hopes up, but Lily swore that no one was interested in kicking Cane when he was down. Cane noticed how quiet the house had been when he'd walked in, and he couldn't help but think about how his life had changed. Lily softly stated that she was there and that she still loved him. He pulled her into his arms.

Cane conceded that he had a long way to go to win back his family's trust, but he thought it would give the twins a sense of hope if they saw their parents pulling together. Lily admitted that she wanted to keep their family together, and he was relieved to hear her say it. He moved in to kiss her, and she hesitantly gave in. They started to make love on the couch, but she pushed him away and said she couldn't do it.

Lily asked if Cane really thought she'd want to have sex, and he pointed out that she'd said she loved him. Lily ranted that another woman was carrying his child, and it would become a reality in less than nine months. She questioned how she could make love to him when she knew that, and he weakly protested as she rushed out of the room. He crumpled to the couch and buried his head in his hands.

• Cane receives a call from someone needing his help