Oh yes, looks can be deceiving

Did Hilary's sudden about-face disgust Jordan and captivate Devon? Was a false face concealing Graham's greedy intentions for Dina? Did Nikki put on a brave face to cover her stress and fears over performing in a potentially disastrous concert? Appearances can be everything in Two Scoops.

Gloria sure said a mouthful when she stated that looks can be deceiving, but that seems to be the norm for the folks in Genoa City. But seriously, just who is calling the shots between Dina and Graham? Dina doesn't appear to be the kind of woman who would let a good-looking guy trounce all over her, yet she appeared to be jealous when she spied Ashley's hand on top of her companion's hand at the Athletic Club. Graham doesn't really look to be sinister, and Ashley couldn't prove any different after her interrogation...uh, questioning of him. But could Graham be the proverbial wolf in sheep's clothing? Are his goody-goody appearances all just for show to throw Jack and Ashley off of his true intentions toward Dina? And could Ashley be more intrigued than what she admits to?

That's what is rather scary in this day and age. The most innocent-looking person can turn out to be a Jack the Ripper. Why, even Ted Bundy had a kind face and was so nice and sweet, right up until the time he diabolically stole the last breaths from his victims. You can't really trust anyone, so Ashley did right by trying to learn more about her mother's compatriot. At least she got Graham's last name -- Bloodworth, a name any fiendish serial killer would kill for. Even if his last name sounded gory, Graham appeared to be all sweetness and light as he told of his past life where good wholesome values, such as honor, loyalty, and family, were preached, even if they weren't always practiced. When his mom and pop fell apart as the perfect couple, Graham had learned not to care about outward appearances. So, exactly what is seething inside of that calm and nicely groomed body?

I don't know how Jack can be outraged about Dina putting a dear friend before her own family, if that friend is truly devoted to her, since he has been the one who has been in her life for the last year. Some people don't have a family to rely on and have to depend on their friends to get by. You know -- I get by with a little help from my friends. Sing it, Ringo. I know, I know, Dina did it to herself. She's the one who ran off and left her family high and dry, which makes it even more ridiculous for Jack to be irritated about his mother's possible preference. By the way, it's rather telling that Jack ended his tryst with Gloria just as his mother returned from the beyond. And when I say from the beyond, I mean from overseas, obviously not from the grave. But that almost makes it seem like Jack was only looking at Gloria as a sort of mother figure, which is rather sick in a creepy and lusty kind of way. Ick!

And Graham appeared to care about Dina as her "close friend and most trusted advisor." Behind closed doors, they talked about not being lovers, only as devoted companions for each other. However, when Jack tried to first sic Ashley and then Gloria on Graham to seduce him, he was using the wrong bait, because, out of Dina's hearing, Graham made a call about quickly finalizing Dina's will. Eureka! So Ashley appeared to be right when she claimed he wouldn't dare kill "the golden goose." Or wouldn't that be the goose that laid the golden egg?

Oh, no, Graham would definitely want that bird to go on squawking for a little while longer, anyway -- long enough for Dina to sign her "John Hancock" to her will, if that was his motive. Apparently, Graham's thespian talents have improved from his acting days as an extra and in bit parts if he was able to snow the usually savvy woman. However, Graham would need an Oscar-winning performance to win Jack and Ashley over to his deviously greedy side if his true intention was to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which would be the end of Dina's life.

If Jack didn't think his mother was a soft, lonely old woman, why was he trying to take over her finances behind her back? Jack just assumed that Graham was only after Dina's money. Dina should actually be a little insulted that Jack didn't think someone outside of the family could care about her as a person. Sadly, Jack was probably right about Graham, since Dina's companion was so determined for her to sign "the documents," specifically her will. Possibly, Graham really didn't give a hoot about Dina, except where money was concerned.

Okay, so Dina signed the will -- but who's to say that she left her entire fortune to Graham? Shouldn't Jack and Ashley check that out before they jump to their "unflattering conclusions"? Why doesn't Jack just ask her who Dina's beneficiary is, if he is that worried about her money? Is he afraid his mother would think that's all he cares about? Even if Dina has mentioned Graham in her will, it doesn't mean she left him everything. That should be Jack's next step -- to find out exactly what is in Dina's will. In the meantime, though, I want to hear more about the deal made between Dina and Graham.

Billy's glances tended to be a teensy-weensy bit deceiving, since his eyes lusted over Phyllis one minute while his gaze lingered over Victoria another. Oh, yes, Billy seemed to want his cake (Victoria) and to eat it, too (Phyllis, of course, since it's all about cravings with her). Billy makes sure to use all the right words when he's with each of them so he can keep them both hanging around. Nick even agreed with me that Billy was bouncing back and forth between the two lovely ladies like a red rubber ball -- and a big-time jerk. Billy has been incredibly selfish throughout the past year, so why stop now?

Victoria may appear to be strong, but by continuing to quietly pursue Billy, she has come off as being weak and needy. She's too good for that. Victoria needs to face the fact that Billy has moved on. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), she has the kids to dangle in front of Billy's nose to keep him nearby. And Phyllis is savvy enough to know that if she pushes Billy to stay away from his children, she might as well just shove him straight into Victoria's arms. Why, Billy's little triangle could go on forever.

Brash & Sassy's reputation -- and Victoria's -- could wind up being tarnished, thanks to Cane's claim of being Mr. Sweet and Innocent on that fateful night in Tokyo. Sure, Cane may have cheated on his wife and then lied about it, which would hurt his wife and possibly destroy his family and his marriage. But this betrayal most certainly would not rise to the level of sexual harassment in the workplace. Ooh, I love it when I sound like Michael. Cane was not Juliet's superior that night. Juliet was Brash & Sassy's Tokyo consultant. Plus, if anyone had wanted sex, it would have been Juliet, since Cane had been totally blitzed. Now Juliet's trying to take advantage of the situation and turn her personal dream into a professionally illegal nightmare. Talk about appearances being deceiving!

And this is all thanks to Hilary, whose desire was to create a hit story while, at the same time, destroying the life of her archenemy, Lily. Hilary's as deceitful as they come, and her facial expressions hide just how cunning she can be. She always has an ulterior motive for anything she does. I guess since Chloe is leaving, Hilary needs to pick up the slack. Hilary definitely goes by her own agenda, and Juliet's best interests were not high on it. Actually, Juliet never really made any decisions regarding the dragging-on-for-way-too-long lawsuit. First, Hilary told Juliet exactly what she should do so that Hilary could get her newsworthy story. Juliet was like a lamb to the slaughter, with Hilary leading the way. Juliet may never be employed in the industry again due to the ridiculous lawsuit that was in no way sexual harassment. But because Cane lied, Juliet may be able to win the case anyway.

But even when Juliet was ready to drop the case, Leslie talked her out of it. Actually, Leslie was the one who made sure the case against Brash & Sassy kept going. I thought that was supposed to be her client's decision. Juliet really doesn't have much of a backbone. She's going to let her attorney possibly ruin her future career. Leslie is the one who seemed to be making it personal, probably for the big bucks and for the airtime. Let's face it -- Leslie isn't shown on-screen all that much anymore, unless there's good lawsuit hanging around -- although I really can't say this is a "good" one. Fake sexual harassment suits are not beneficial to anyone, especially true victims of the crime.

Just because two workers working together on a project have sex doesn't make it sexual harassment, especially if it's consensual on both sides. That's where Juliet is lying, but I give her credit for sticking to the truth of the details for most of the night. Judge Judy always says if you tell the truth, you don't need to have a good memory, and what she means is when you create a false story, you tend to forget about the tiniest details, which can trip you up because your story will keep changing. By telling what really happened up to the time of whatever occurred in Cane's hotel room, Juliet will be able to recall the details of that part of her tale. The fiction takes place inside the room, and there are no witnesses to contradict what she says, since Cane can't remember.

Victoria was right. Even if Juliet was a scapegoat, she was one with a good recommendation and a great severance package. Sure, Juliet should be outraged that she was fired instead of Billy, who really did have it coming. But come on. Juliet had to know that if Victoria could blame someone other than the father of her children, she would make the other person who was responsible for the horrible mistake pay. Victoria had to choose which person had to go, and the choice was between Billy and Juliet. It was a no-brainer. Juliet was fired for cause. This should never have turned into a trumped-up sexual harassment case because it was just a figment of Hilary's imagination.

Even though Leslie was practically jumping up and down with joy after showing the hotel footage, Michael agreed with me that the most it could prove was overnight sex, not coercion. In fact, the hotel footage could possibly showcase the biggest deceiving appearance of them all. Juliet willingly following Cane into his hotel room. He was obviously very drunk and could barely walk. Cane swore up and down to Victoria that sex never happened that night, so she was gung-ho to pursue the case, since she felt Leslie wouldn't be able to prove what didn't happen. Cane just wanted it all to go away, and who can blame him? After all, he couldn't save face with Lily, and his marriage was on the line. It looked like Hilary got the revenge she so desperately wanted.

What's the matter with you, Devon?! I just wanted to slap him silly. Jordan hasn't known Hilary for nearly as long as Devon, but he could see right through her. Even when Hilary batted her pretty eyelashes and insisted she was a changed woman, all because of Jordan, he saw her as the lying, scheming vixen she's always been. But Devon's known Hilary and all of her tricks, and he still let her manipulate him again? I guess all it took was for Hilary to give him a pretty little pout and then whimper that she didn't have a clue, and Devon was trapped back in her web. Please! Devon's the one who is totally clueless. Hilary's every look and move are full of deceit and duplicity.

Why is it that whenever the injured spouse's marriage is in jeopardy on a soap, a third party is always ready and available to pounce? Jordan was waiting in the wings for his chance to win Lily over after he realized just what kind of person Hilary really was. Hilary couldn't see that there are just some things you can't fake, and she has a problem with being genuine and nice. Batting her eyelashes and pouting her lips were only illusions of kindness and were not the real deal. Lily has honesty and loyalty in spades, which was probably the true reason for Hilary's vindictiveness. Lily was proving to be the type of woman Jordan would prefer to be with, and Hilary couldn't suddenly adopt her rival's glowing qualities. Hilary must have really resented that.

The normally sophisticated Nikki (except for when she's soused to the gills) looked oh-so-glamourous in the poster promoting her concert for Victor's charity. But it looked as if that was all a cover, since Nikki was literally shaking at the thought of performing in front of such a large crowd. Because Sharon has suddenly become the expert on dealing with a crisis, she advised Nikki to just have fun with her performance -- but that was easier said than done. Wow, who would ever have thought that Sharon would be advising Nikki on, well...anything? After Sharon left, Nikki collapsed on the floor, pleading and crying for help, and I can't say that I blame her. Even without her multiple sclerosis, performing in a concert would be daunting and pretty overwhelming. What was Victor thinking?

As usual, Victor was only thinking about Victor in trying to determine the best way to get back into Nikki's good graces. But he never even asked Nikki first if performing in a concert was something that might be on her bucket list. Victor just went full steam ahead and scheduled the concert, and Nikki had to like it or lump it. But Nikki couldn't do either, so the stress did her in. Victor knew darn well that because of her medical condition, Nikki was supposed to avoid stress, but he piled the pressure on, which could cause the supposed love of his life irreparable damage to her health.

And Nikki didn't want to appear insecure to her husband, so she covered on the phone with a cheerful "Hi, darling." Nikki's brave face could prove to be her undoing, especially after the doctor told her to eliminate the stress in her life. It's a concert. Just how many tunes will Nikki have to play? Shoot, during practice, with her hands shaking so severely, she was lucky just to make it through one song. How will she cope on concert night when the pressure will really be on? It will be more than just first night jitters.

But Nikki wanted to prove to herself that she could do it so Victor couldn't rob her of her confidence again. Okay, I get that. But she is going through so much pain and anguish to accomplish this. Hopefully, the final result will be within her reach. Boy, how horrible for Nikki to have to constantly hear Victor's voice in her head, saying, "I told you, you are nothing without me." It's bad enough when he personally tears her down with his negative words and tone. Through the concert, Nikki can prove to Victor, to her family, and to everyone else that she is a strong woman who can defeat her most threatening foes. If Nikki is a success at her concert, will that finally be enough to convince her to leave Victor forever? (Probably not.)

Somebody, please bring in a bucket of water and throw it on Abby and Scott. The only ones they appear to be fooling are themselves. I wondered if Sharon saw the electricity sizzling between the two of them -- or if maybe it was just a case of Sharon choosing not to see what was right in front of her face. But Sharon must still be on her medication, because she wasn't delusional at all. Sharon saw the smoldering looks exchanged between Scott and Abby, which gave off "a little heat," although Scott claimed that they just had "white hot dislike" for each other. Scott may insist that Sharon is the girl for him, but they may not last as a couple, if Victor has his way -- and he usually does.

Victor keeps throwing Abby and Scott into Newman Enterprises projects together, and I am starting to suspect that he may be doing some matchmaking for his youngest daughter. Sure, Victor claims he wants Abby to learn from Scott's expertise, but he pairs them up at every single opportunity. The Mustache may say Scott is a good mentor for Abby, but it's possible Vic is looking at Scott to be her romantic partner, as well. Sharon can't possibly win against an opponent backed by Victor Newman.

And maybe Scott is the reason Abby has adopted her new no-mixing-business-with-pleasure policy with Zack, even if the dating app geek is more than just a pretty face. Somehow, I doubt if she will reveal her impromptu policy to Scott, as well. Could Abby secretly be jealous of Sharon? Hmmm...I wonder where Abby would score on Lauren's approval rating scale, since Sharon has obviously landed on the bottom of that heap. Abby would probably look pretty good in Lauren's eyes, next to Sharon. It's nice to have the mother's approval beforehand.

Nick sure didn't seem to approve of Scott, but maybe that's because he could see that Victor was trying to replace the family who had deserted him with a mentored version of himself. Ah-ha! Perhaps that's why Victor's career path has suddenly included being the town's newest matchmaker. Scott would become his son-in-law if Abby were to marry him. Hey, maybe Scott could even take on the Newman name. Vic would be so proud. Nick who? Then Victor could laugh in his son's face. I can almost hear him now. Despise me now, you varmint! Victor can be a little melodramatic at times. Unfortunately, if Victor's goal is for Abby and Scott to unite, Sharon would be put right back into Victor's bull's-eye. And Nick may be put in the position of protecting her once again.

Even though she is living with Billy now, Phyllis still comes off as looking like "the other woman."

Victor is absolutely correct that if her siblings have to be judged by his higher Newman standards, Abby should be too. However, Victor has a nasty tendency to conveniently forget any superior decisions and actions his children take when they are in charge. That hole that Victor has dug for his kids in the corporate world is a bottomless pit.

Cane really needs to stop getting drunk around women with hidden agendas. They weave a fantasy he can't remember, and then he has to pay the price afterwards. I doubt if there's an A.A. meeting that can help him with that.

Could Jordan secretly have a nudie photo of Chelsea that he took during her scamming and conning days?

Leslie only seemed to want to question Lily so it would be more earth-shattering for her once she learned of Cane's possible betrayal. Way to rub it in her face, Les!

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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