Thanksgiving at the Abbott estate was supposed to be a rare moment of peace, a chance for family members to reconnect and soak in warmth after months of heartbreak, betrayals, and high-stakes drama. The dining room glowed with candlelight, the aroma of roasted turkey and herbs filled the air, and a sense of cautious optimism hovered over the family. For a few fleeting moments, it seemed like they could finally breathe.
The calm, however, shattered the instant Ashley Abbott stepped through the door. Her return should have been joyous — after all, she had spent months quietly wrestling with her own struggles, distancing herself from the chaos of Genoa City. Seeing her bright eyes and calm composure left Jack speechless. Billy was relieved, Tracy near tears. For an instant, the family felt whole again. But at the center of the brewing storm, the danger lurked at Newman Towers.
Victor Newman had been planning for weeks, possibly months, a strategy honed like a blade aimed squarely at Jack Abbott. He had acquired Cain Ashby’s stolen AI software from Phyllis, who believed she was executing a daring maneuver without realizing the full consequences of her betrayal. Victor, of course, recognized the potential immediately. The software was more than a weapon — it could dismantle Jabau from the inside, crippling the Abbotts without him ever leaving his office. Once activated, the war officially began.
Meanwhile, the Abbotts laughed, shared stories, and toasted to family, completely unaware of the silent threat creeping toward them. Victor, seated in his office, fingers dancing across the keyboard, activated the AI, muttering to himself about Jack’s arrogance and the countless times he had interfered with Newman operations. Victor intended to strike decisively, to crush the Abbott empire from within.
At first, the cyberattack appeared subtle. Kyle’s security system flagged minor anomalies. Summer, logging in remotely, noticed tiny fluctuations but dismissed them. Diane’s phone buzzed with a system alert, which she ignored, assuming it was routine diagnostics. Then, mid-toast, disaster struck. Billy’s phone vibrated violently, Kyle’s tablet flashed alerts, and Tracy’s laptop chimed. The lights flickered. Jack saw the panic in Billy’s eyes: a red, flashing notification signaling a cyber breach.
Chaos erupted instantly. Ashley’s smile disappeared. Diane ran to help Kyle, who frantically tried to isolate the network. The AI Victor deployed, Cain Ashby’s stolen software, was designed to infiltrate and adapt, overriding firewalls, corrupting sensitive data, and destabilizing Jabau’s infrastructure faster than any human could respond. Contracts, research files, payroll systems, and manufacturing algorithms were at risk. Jabau faced complete ruin — and if Newman Enterprises chose to step in, Jack feared a hostile takeover would follow.
The Abbotts scrambled into action. Jack barked orders, Billy fought to contain the cascading failures, Kyle rushed to protect key systems, and Ashley, trembling yet resolute, assumed command. She had always been Jabau’s secret weapon, a brilliant chemist and strategist. Diane’s face drained of color as she realized everything they had rebuilt might be wiped out.
Ashley cut through the panic. “This is exactly what he wants. We don’t panic. We fight,” she declared. Her presence steadied the room. Jack, relieved and proud, recognized Ashley’s rare ability to see solutions where others only saw disaster. Victor, meanwhile, at Newman Towers, watched with smug satisfaction, imagining Jack’s fury at discovering the source of the attack.
Yet Ashley quickly realized something terrifying. The AI wasn’t targeting Jabau exclusively; it was malfunctioning, redirecting toward Newman Enterprises itself. Cain Ashby had either deliberately or accidentally supplied Victor with corrupted software — a digital time bomb capable of imploding his own empire. If left unchecked, the AI would destroy both companies.
Ashley informed Jack urgently, explaining that they had to act immediately. Jack wrestled with conflicting impulses: let Victor’s plan unfold and watch him crumble, or intervene to prevent catastrophic fallout that would harm countless employees and destabilize Genoa City. Duty won out. “We stop it,” he said, voice raw, “even if he’d never do the same for us.”
Working at lightning speed, Ashley traced Victor’s logic, understanding the intricacies of his networks and predicting his moves. Yet the corrupted AI followed twisted logic of its own, destabilizing Newman infrastructure. Victor, unaware, believed he had the upper hand. The digital wildfire was spiraling, threatening both Jabau and Newman Enterprises.
Ashley had no choice. She needed to override the system directly from Victor’s office. “Jack, he will only listen to me,” she explained. As Victor’s most formidable opponent and daughter, she was his blind spot — his one vulnerability. Determination blazing, she rushed into the night to confront the threat at its source.
The war between Newman and Abbott had evolved beyond corporate battles. It was now personal, a conflict of legacy, identity, and family. As Ashley raced to prevent total disaster, Jack and the rest of the Abbotts braced for a battle that would change the course of both families forever. The stakes were no longer just companies or pride — they were survival, power, and the fragile bonds that held their families together.
