Victor set the scene by telling Nate he was the only person he felt he could trust. This gave Nate the confidence to forge ahead with a plan that, on the surface, appeared to put Victor’s needs first, but ultimately proved to involve an ulterior motive, however subtle.

After Victor called everyone to the office and announced it was “time to tell the truth”, he proceeded to execute the final and ultimate test on his children and Hastings by asking them what they think should be done about his supposed mental decline. Nate, of course, jumped in to pitch the idea he and the boss had previously discussed, which involved shipping Victor off to a private facility for evaluation under the guise of a vacation or an extended business trip.

It was Adam who piped up to disagree, explaining that the press would smell blood and inevitably unearth the truth, which would make Victor and the company vulnerable. Instead, Adam proposed keeping him close and “bring the treatment” to his dad, while forming a united front to protect him and Newman Enterprises. Bingo! This, of course, was the right answer.

Whether Victoria saw the writing on the wall or genuinely wanted what was best for their dad, she suprised everyone by declaring that she agreed with her loathed younger brother.

Utterly failing to read the room was Nate, the only non-Newman, who proceeded to argue his point of view and insist that Victor be farmed out to a state-of-the-art facility.

As we mentioned earlier, the devil here was in the details. Victor’s next question was what would happen to the company should he decide to take Nate’s advice. Nate confidently put forth the idea that Victoria would step back in as CEO to replace Victor in his absence. That, unfortunately for Hastings, was the reveal the Black Knight was looking for — it suggested that Nate was angling to take advantage of the situation, or at least laying the groundwork for such.

After all, once Victor was installed in the facility under the care of Nate’s specialist pals, his stay could be extended repeatedly to allow Victoria and Nate to remain at the top of the Newman Enterprises food chain.

It was the wrong answer and it got Nate fired.

So, what’s next? Perhaps the unimaginable — three of Victor’s children all working together at Newman Enterprises.

Well, maybe it’s not quite so unimaginable now. Given they all inadvertently ended up on the same page where Victor’s health was concerned, might there be other things they can agree on, if not personally, then at the very least in the C-suite?

Of course, Nick would have to be convinced to return to the family business first. Will he be offered his old job back given that Nate’s vacating it? Or will Adam be offered the position given how well he performed as Hasting’s assistant? Victoria, for her part, may have been taken down a peg by her boyfriend’s abrupt dismissal, and may be more willing to play er, work, well with others — namely her brothers.

On the flip side, Victor’s children may be so incensed by him employing such a cruel ruse to test them, that Adam and Victora will quit and Nick will refuse to ever come back. It could happen, but we’re thinking that’s unlikely. If it does, well, Victor’s still got Abby, who is blissfully unaware that any of this has even gone down.

Nate, meanwhile, is almost certainly headed back to Chancellor-Winters in this latest round of Young & Restless’ musical jobs, which should make one Aunt Mamie very, very happy.

What do you think is up next for the Newmans and Nate? Let us know in the comment section.