The tension in Genoa City surged long before Monday even began. Diane Jenkins felt it first—a blistering wave of anger that burned through her composure the second she learned Jack had confided in Nikki Newman. That single choice reopened every fear she carried about losing both him and the legacy they’d fought so hard to protect. To Diane, Jack’s decision wasn’t just questionable judgment; it was a painful reminder that he continued to place trust in the Newmans, even when Victor loomed as the biggest threat to Jabot’s survival.

Her resentment only sharpened when she met with Kyle. Unlike Diane, he was trying to suppress emotion to focus on strategy. He laid out a harsh reality: if Victor’s AI assault continued, Jabot might have no choice but to temporarily shut down. Not restructure. Not scale back. A full stop. It was a solution no Abbott wanted to consider, but Kyle was convinced it might be the only way to prevent the company from being drained the way Cain Ashby’s business had nearly been obliterated.

Diane’s reaction was explosive—not because Kyle’s plan was wrong, but because she feared what this kind of defeat would do to Jack. She knew how many battles he had already fought for Jabot. The idea of watching him lose everything to one of Victor’s schemes terrified her more deeply than she wanted to admit. Kyle tried to calm her, promising that no matter what happened, they would rebuild together. But his reassurance didn’t erase her fear. When she suggested they both meet Jack at GCAC so she could keep an eye on him, Kyle gently declined, explaining he already had plans with Claire. That revelation only added another layer of unease for Diane.

Meanwhile at GCAC, Nikki waited for Jack, anxiety curling tight beneath her polished exterior. When he arrived, she demanded to know what Victor had done this time. Jack wasted no time revealing the truth: Victor’s AI had nearly sucked Cain’s company dry, using an automated system designed to bleed finances with ruthless efficiency. Nikki’s guilt grew as she realized that she had underestimated the full danger of Victor’s new technological obsession.

Jack reminded her of the promise she’d made—to stop Victor if he ever turned that weapon toward Jabot. Now, with Cain’s collapse as proof, Nikki could no longer pretend Victor’s experiments were harmless. Torn between loyalty to her husband and her conscience, she listened as Jack made his most difficult confession: they were preparing to shut everything down. A total freeze on operations, meant to prevent the AI from accessing their data and destroying the company from the inside. It felt like surrender, but Jack insisted it was the only option left.

Nikki recoiled at the idea, calling it reckless, but her arguments didn’t withstand the truth. She knew exactly what Victor was capable of—especially now that Jack was asking the question she had avoided too long. Did Victor truly possess the AI program? After a long pause, she admitted the truth. Yes. And she hated it.

That confession sparked something in Jack—a rare glimmer of hope shaped into strategy. If Nikki could get close to Victor, perhaps she could discover a weakness in the system or even remove the program entirely. Nikki agreed to help, though she warned Jack not to thank her yet; the fallout could be devastating if Victor learned what she was doing.

Their conversation was cut short when Diane arrived. She immediately sensed something had happened between them, and after Nikki left, Jack admitted he had shared the shutdown plan with her. Diane erupted, accusing him of betraying their trust and gambling Jabot’s fate by confiding in Victor’s wife. She was convinced Nikki couldn’t be relied on—not when Victor had always known how to twist her loyalties.

While tensions boiled at GCAC, another powder keg ignited at Society. Claire arrived with clear intentions for her meeting with Kyle, only to cross paths with Holden Novak. Their history bubbled beneath the surface. Holden pressed her about the growing distance between them, implying it stemmed from secrets rather than his confession about Audra. Claire pushed back, insisting she felt he was still hiding something.

Before the emotional dust could settle, Audra stormed in. Her fury was sharp, precise, and aimed directly at Claire. The confrontation escalated instantly—taunts became threats, and threats turned into violence when Audra slapped Claire across the face. Claire retaliated with frightening intensity, grabbing Audra by the throat before Holden pulled her away. The bar froze around them as Clare transformed from wounded to dangerous.

Kyle arrived moments later, stunned by the chaos. Claire ordered him to take her out of there, and he obeyed without question.

By the time they reached GCAC, Claire had regained her composure enough to deliver a chilling revelation: she knew what Audra had done in Los Angeles—and she could destroy her with the truth. Kyle pledged his full support, sealing a new alliance. Their toast wasn’t casual. It marked the beginning of a calculated war, and Audra was officially their shared target.