Win at all costs, no matter how high the price

Victor played dirty to get temporary custody of Christian. Will the child pay the ultimate price due to Victor's strategy of winning at all costs? And will Nick have to resort to his father's underhanded tactics in order to get his adored son back? Not all's fair in love and war in Two Scoops.

Okay, what court, or judge in this case, would award full custody of a young toddler to an old man who can barely get around, and take the child away from the only loving parent he has ever known? It's ridiculous. I mean, Victor doesn't have to win every single, solitary time, does he? Honestly, there was no suspense at all in what was going to happen during mediation and in what the final verdict would be. We all knew that Victor, through Michael, would rip Sharon to pieces as a witness. It was the only ammunition Victor really had over Nick. And we all knew that Victor would get custody, if only temporarily, of Christian. The fans didn't need a crystal ball to see that Christian's future was to be removed from his father.

Hey, I know...maybe the writers could have come up with something new and have Nick actually win this legal battle over his father. Even with Michael's vicious attack on Sharon over her past mental health issues, I thought she held up pretty well throughout his line of questioning. Actually, I think Nick fared worse when he admitted that his dad had always been there to support him throughout his life. But no matter who did worse with the testimony, the end result was that Christian was stripped from his daddy's arms to be raised by a handful of servants. I can't blame Nick for vowing revenge, even if it meant he had to turn into a younger version of Victor. Nick was finally realizing that the saying is true: good guys finish last.

And Victor, being Victor, had to win at all costs, even if the price was steep, since it would remove the tot from the very person who had always loved him from the moment he was born. If Victor truly loved his grandson and wanted the very best for him, he would cherish having Christian being raised by both Nick and Sharon, since they were the ones who had been with him all his life. Believing Christian was Sully, her very own child, Sharon had adored the baby and had given him every ounce of her love, and she continued to do so even after she had to relinquish the boy to Nick. And Nick always loved the lad as his own, even after he learned that biologically, Christian wasn't his. That's the meaning of unconditional love, which is a totally foreign concept to Victor.

Although I knew it would never happen, it would have been so refreshing if Victor had fought fair for once in his life, but of course, he only knows how to play dirty. Victor only fights to win, even if he has to cheat. Good heavens, why doesn't he see that it would be more of a challenge to engage in an honest battle? I mean, you would think Victor would consider winning a fair fight to be the real and ultimate victory. That's probably why he got so bored dueling with Jack. Victor never knew how to take the high road, and Jack grew weary of duking it out in the gutter of Victor's making. Now it seemed to be Nick's turn, only Nick was finally ready to get his hands dirty.

And he just may need to do that or risk losing the love of his life, the woman he wanted to raise his family with...Sharon. I still find it questionable that the judge pretty quickly dismissed the notion that with her ongoing therapy and medication, Sharon was perfectly fit to raise a young child. So, does that mean that Sharon should never be around young children again in the legal system's "eyes"? If she's such a danger to the wee ones, why hasn't Social Services run into her home and stripped Faith from her bosom? It's just so ridiculous. And why wasn't Faith called to testify on Sharon's behalf at the mediation hearing? You'd think the judge would want to know the truth about Sharon from the only youth who would honestly know. But the truth didn't matter, I guess.

Sharon was still being judged as mentally unbalanced, even when she had proof from a professional that she was completely stable. That appeared to be her cross to bear -- forever. Actually, Victor's mentality should be the one in doubt here. What sane, loving grandpa would cause that kind of grief and sorrow to his own grandson? Losing his only source of support throughout his life could cause irreparable damage. Nick and Sharon were always on hand to love, care for, and protect Christian, and that was stripped from the child in a flash. Ironically, Christian may need therapy of his own later in life (or sooner!), thanks to his grandfather's selfishness.

Nick was still bound and determined to give his son the loving family Christian deserved, so he proposed to Sharon. It was so sweet and romantic. With that kind of proposal, Sharon should have flung herself into his arms with a roaring yes. Yet, I can understand that she had to be cautious due to the circumstances and to the past. Sharon went to an unlikely person for love advice, Mariah, who hasn't had the best luck with affairs of the heart. But Mariah advised Sharon to grab love and never let go, which was profound and wise. Now if only Mariah could follow her own advice with her own special someone.

And Nick went to the very person who was certain to tell him to head for the hills and to run far, far away from Sharon. Yes, Nick went to Phyllis, who didn't disappoint. Phyllis told Nick that Sharon hesitated about giving him an answer to his proposal because she was "gun-shy" due to his cheating in the past. Strangely, her words had the opposite effect, and Nick was more certain than ever that his life should be with Sharon. Hurray! I have always liked this couple together, and I still do. That they were able to remain friends after all the heartache they shared throughout the years proves that they are destined to be together. They not only love each other, but they like one another, as well, and that seems to be a rare thing with couples these days.

It was refreshing to see Victoria express that she wanted to help Nick -- and not at the expense of Sharon. Even as an unknowing Brittany commented on J.T.'s disappearance, it seemed like there should be some way that Victoria or Sharon could use the truth of that fateful night to their advantage to resolve the custody issue. Actually, if Nick was honest about becoming more like Victor to get Christian back, the secret could be just the tool to dig his father down into the dirt...just like J.T. was that night. Though Nick would have to use his mother to do it, he could bury Victor with threats of revealing the truth about J.T.'s vanishing act. Shoot, Victor wouldn't give one thought about throwing Nikki under the bus if it gave him the advantage to win. But was J.T. really dead? Was there any way he could have clawed his way out from his impromptu grave if he had survived the blow to his head?

Nick showed that he was done with Victor's rule of the Newman land when he told Victoria that he would take the leading role in their little melodrama away from Victor. And Victoria seemed ready to cheer on the newly appointed hero of the Newman family, as they both booed their father for his devious ways. Nick has always been the guy sporting the white hat, which has placed him behind the eight ball of Victor's diabolical strategy numerous times. But with a new tactic and mindset, maybe our good guy could finally defeat the villain and his nasty ways. Victoria was one heroine that could also stand to be saved.

The funny thing was that Nick still believed that Victoria needed to be rescued from J.T. Oh, if he only knew the circumstances about the fate of Reed's daddy. Nick was determined to clean up the loose end known as J.T., though, no matter how much Victoria discouraged him. But Victoria was receiving email threats of gloom and doom raining down on Newman Enterprises by an anonymous source who claimed to have all their confidential information. Could the unknown person be J.T., alive and well and not-so-dead after all? Or could the threats be coming from Nick, who had vowed to take Victor down with any dastardly method he could find? Nick would need to hit Victor right where he lived, and destroying Newman Enterprises would most certainly be hitting Vic's sweet spot. Did Nick trade in his pure-as-the-driven-snow white Stetson for a villainous black top hat?

Yet, as Victoria and Ashley speculated on who the mystery culprit was, it took them a while to mention Nick's name. The number one person on the list was Jack, but I agree with Ashley in that he was too busy trying to find the identity of his father. Kyle, Abby, and Helen were all unlikely considerations, and Ashley even thought of Victoria. But if Nick really wanted to take Victor down, that would be the way to go. I'm just not sure he would sink that low, especially after just getting engaged. But then, Ashley realized the documents were all dated from January 2018 through the end of April, which coincided with J.T.'s tenure. Oh, my gosh, that was another sign indicating J.T. was still alive.

That sure appeared to be the case when Mac stopped by with an astonishing announcement: J.T.'s old credit card was being used for purchases, and it looked like he was on the run. And Abby revealed that the shipping location of the confidential documentation was Fort Dodge, Iowa -- the same place where some of the charges on J.T.'s credit card had been made. But then Mac noted that she had told Paul all that she'd learned. This may be far-fetched, but could Paul be planting all this evidence to get Victoria to talk? Legally, could Paul to go to such extremes to find out what happened that night? Desperate times call for desperate measures, and this would certainly qualify.

Victoria, Nikki, Phyllis, and Sharon had time to discuss J.T.'s possible sudden resurrection at Sharon and Nick's engagement party, which Victor crashed. Only Victor didn't congratulate the happy couple on their engagement; he patted himself on the back for almost being guaranteed permanent custody of Christian. Victor has some nerve and no class. He certainly would never be accused of being the better man. Victor's grand entrance went way past tacky, but again, he was the one still winning. The problem was that Nick was always on the defensive to protect his family, when he needed to be on the offensive, going after something near and dear to his father's heart. Nick had better come up with a cunning Victor-like strategy quickly, or he may never see his son again.

Hilary and Devon have become so lovey-dovey, it's almost sickening. She even tried to micromanage her pregnancy, which proved to be impossible, of course. But Devon was so gallant, he stressed that he wanted to share every moment of her pregnancy with her, even going so far as to clean up the puke from her morning sickness. Oh, "puke" was definitely the word to describe this interaction. Unless Hilary is recast or there's a sudden successful contract negotiation, she will need to do something to break Devon's heart again. Ah, something to look forward to. Maybe Hilary will miscarry and then lie to Devon and pretend to still be pregnant. And then when Devon learns the truth, he could kick her to the curb. There are so many ways this could play out.

And the syrupy sweetness continued when Devon planned an impromptu vacation to St. Croix, just so the two lovebirds could be alone. I was feeling rather nauseous from all the sugar. Shauna made sure to have Hilary's bags all packed and ready to go, as she exclaimed to Charlie that the penthouse was all hers. Shoot, the girl practically pushed Hilary and Devon out the door. Party time. Or not, if she's as dull as she has appeared to be so far. But once they were alone together, Charlie proved to be the prude by running out the door. And his wild dash seemed to be more than just trying to protect and preserve Shauna's virtue. Maybe Charlie was a virgin and was afraid of where they were headed. Ahhh...the complications of young love.

Summer appeared to be shaking more than her booty at Jabot, where she continued to taunt Billy with her womanly ways. Summer thought of her mother's boyfriend as her own "sexy and exciting project," and she wasn't above using her mother to accomplish being constantly around him. Phyllis, however, attempted to use Kyle as a distraction for her wayward daughter, but Summer was having none of it. Summer wanted the sizzling combustion happening between her and Billy. If Summer had her way with Billy, the only explosion taking place at Jabot would be with Phyllis -- if she learned of her daughter's true intention.

Hey, it would be nice to have the fiery, raging former "Red" back again. But if we can't have the passionate, volatile Phyllis, a younger version of her would suffice. Oh, yes, Summer is becoming more and more like her mother's daughter, which is welcome when our other ladies are so refined and sophisticated. After all, Hilary can't carry the entire cunning and calculating burden on her shoulders, and if she's truly leaving, we will need someone to pick up the slack. Summer could just be the one, and she's a much more interesting "Supergirl" than she used to be, although her father may not appreciate this version of her.

And Summer proved she could be as sneaky as her mother when she invited "the gang" over for some fun. Summer enticed Billy by throwing his weakness, gambling, into his face. After watching for a while, Billy couldn't resist, and the cards pulled him back in. But Billy continued to rebuff Summer's advances the whole time her mother was out of town. As much as Summer tried, even though Phyllis was out of sight, she was not out of Billy's mind. Because of his addiction, the ultimate seduction for Billy was the cards, not Summer. However, Billy made a request to Summer that his night of gambling remain their little secret. Hmmm...that sure sounds like something Summer can hold over Billy's head when the time is right.

Jack literally had the key to his familial destiny in the palm of his hand, and the picture in Dina's safe deposit box appeared to point to Phillip Chancellor. Wow, well, if Jack can't biologically be an Abbott, being a blood Chancellor would work just as well. It would be great having a Chancellor back in the picture, and it might give both Jack and Chancellor Industries a new purpose, although Cane may frown on that notion. Katherine loved John, and she loved his son, Jack, and she would have dearly welcomed Jack into the Chancellor family. Maybe Jack will feel her spirit guiding him, as John's had once done, if he learned that Phillip was, in fact, his biological father. This could just be the missing piece of the puzzle that Jack has been searching for.

But where should Jack search for that piece? He could talk to Phillip and Chance, only they had traveled to the Himalayas and would be unreachable for months. Darn! Isn't that always the way? So, who could Jack turn to? Why, Jill would have the answers he needed, and it just so happens that Jess Walton is on her way back to Y&R. However, Jack and Jill (I always think of the nursery rhyme) have been battling it out for years, and Jill may not be so forthcoming in helping Jack to fill in the blanks. But it should be fun to watch Jill's reaction to the fact that Jack could be the biological son of the man she had once loved so dearly.

And even Jack admitted that Jill had not been returning his calls, which really was no surprise to anyone. I mean, they're not exactly the best of friends. Okay, that's an understatement. Jack will be lucky to pry any information about the Chancellor past out of Jill. Therefore, Jack asked Cane to exhume Phillip's body so he could take a DNA test. I don't really get why Cane thinks he needs to protect the Chancellors from the truth, whether Jack is or is not Phillip's biological son. You can bet your booties that Cane's only concern was that Jack would want to take charge at Chancellor Industries. But the facts are the facts, and Cane would be wiser to find out just what they are if he truly was concerned about the Chancellor family.

I can't believe that no one else but Neil remembered just how lost Jack felt after learning he wasn't John's biological son. The search for his father began so that Jack could rediscover himself and could move forward in his life. He had no idea his path would take him straight to the Chancellor family. Even if he wanted to embrace the Chancellor empire, that didn't mean he could take over the family company, especially since Jill had purchased it from Victor. I don't blame Jack for hoping Phillip was his father, because the Chancellors were admired and respected, and who wouldn't want to be a part of that family? Plus, it would give Jack and Jill more opportunities to squabble. They can always be relied on to entertain.

After Ashley commented that Nikki was old enough to be Arturo's mother, Abby hit the nail on the head when she coughed out the name "Ravi." Since Ashley appears to like her men young, there may be a triangle in the making with Abby and Arturo. And with the addition of Nikki, it could even be a square. A love square. Is there such a thing?

Victor made it perfectly clear, when he saw Jack at the Athletic Club, that he saw his prior nemesis as nothing more than the rotting carcass of his last victim. Victor obviously needs a fresh kill, and it seemed his son would fit the bill perfectly. Victor saw Jack as garbage and Nick as his new prey. Yeah, Victor only likes his enemy when the poor sap has some life left in him, and Victor obviously felt he had squashed every last bit of that from Jack.

It's no wonder Abby can't hold onto a guy. Once she found a bra stuck in the couch cushions, she sneaked out the door. But Arturo was acting weird about the apartment, anyway, so it's possible the place wasn't really his. Abby should have demanded an explanation instead of quietly slipping away. Communication is the key to a healthy relationship, and theirs seemed to have a serious case of the silent treatment.

Until next time, please stay tuned.Teddi

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