At Crimson Lights, Kyle spots Nate entering and wonders if he’s in for a bruise up. Nate tells him they are both victims of Audra Charles, but Claire has been the biggest victim in this mess. Sitting, Kyle quizzes him about Holden. “Not a fan,” Nate admits. He seems like bad news and bad vibes, but he’s sure Claire wouldn’t fall for his phony charms. Kyle complains about Holden taking advantage of Claire’s vulnerable state. That sounds about right to Nate, who wouldn’t be surprised if Audra were with Holden now. Kyle assures him he’s better off without her. “Unfortunately, I have to agree,” Nate says.

What Will Claire Tell Victoria?

In Chancellor Park, Claire complains to Victoria that Kyle keeps digging himself in deeper thanks to his lousy choices. She fills her mom in on the contract he signed with Victor, which he likely would have never told her about. The deal doesn’t surprise her mom, but she’s sure it was a sign of profound love.

Claire thinks Kye is clueless about how to cope with their relationship. “What if he loves me too much?” Claire ponders, explaining how possessive he’s been because of her friendship with Holden. Cue the eyerolls as Victoria explains that Kyle told her that Summer was his first love, but he has never loved anyone as much as he loves Claire. Cue some more as she makes excueses for his behavior and urges her daughter to give Kyle some grace. If he’s broken her trust beyond repair, that’s a different story.

Will Claire Hold Out or Give In?

Victoria and Claire enter Crimson Lights, spot Nate and Kyle, and the blonde bluntly asks if the men are bonding over Audra and talking about Holden. Victoria and Nate discuss their grief, and he tells them that having Amy stay with him has helped. She wrote a sympathy card for them. As he leaves for work, Victoria exits with him to get the card.Left alone, Kyle admits to Claire that they were discussing Holden. Nate confirmed what he suspected. Patronizing as ever, Kyle hopes she can understand that he only wants to stop her from getting hurt. Claire informs him she doesn’t need protecting. Failing to read the room, Kyle says he’s sure Holden is only out for a good time at her expense. Claire thinks they need to focus on how Kyle keeps making things worse. His voice cracking, he tells her how terrified he is that he’s screwed things up. “Can’t we hit the reset button and start over?” he asks.

Will Amanda Accept Her Assignment?

On the Cane train, he assures Amanda that handing the software off to Billy is the right move. He can keep his hands clean while secretly controlling what Billy can actually do with the AI. They discuss his kids. He’s surprised he hasn’t yet won them over.

Ashby asks Amanda how close she is to Lily now. Amanda says they tolerate each other. Lily still can’t avoid seeing her as Hilary, but also sympathizes with her because of how Devon betrayed her. Her boss asks if she can cultivate that sympathy into a friendship so she can find out if Lily will ever forgive him. Any little bit would help. As she tries with that, he has plenty to keep him busy.What Goes Down With Phyllis and Michael?

When Michael arrives at the overlook, Phyllis demands to know why they are meeting in secret. Baldwin explains they are both now working for Cane’s dream team. She congratulates herself on guessing this would happen, but wonders why Ashby needs him when he has Amanda. Has he been hired for the same skills he used for Victor? Phyllis bets he has a whole repertoire of tricks.