1994 (#34) - Thomas with Ashley, Rick's plan, and Blade's kidnapping

Determined to regain their peace of mind and lost chemistry, Ashley and Blade decide after their reconciliation to spend a vacation together to overcome their problems. Brad, meanwhile, intent more than ever on winning Ashley back, manages to obtain from his secretary, Gloria Capsahw, the destination of Ashley and Blade's trip; a destination that is also overheard by an angry Rick, determined to enact his revenge against Blade. Coincidentally, St. Thomas is also the destination of Jack, whose goal is to come to terms with his own conscience and feelings, being doubtful about a possible relationship with Luan or an attempt at reconciliation with Mari Jo; Mari Jo who in turn, following her man Rick, unaware of his intentions, also finds herself there. Here, Brad waits for the right moment to appear in front of Ashley and convince her to run away with him, also taking advantage of the fact that Ashley herself, in the meantime, doesn't seem to be able to put aside Blade's kiss with Mari Jo and make the disappointment disappear from her face. Instead, it is Blade himself who is kidnapped, bound and gagged by Rick, who then decides to replace the man and assume his identity. Rick as Blade, much more charismatic and charming than his brother despite being his exact copy, immediately succeeds in making peace with Ashley, thanks also to a more fiery attitude than his brother. Disappointed to see Ashley and what he thinks is Blade together again, Brad sadly returns to Genoa City with the goal of forgetting Ashley forever, while Mari Jo, who can no longer find Rick, finds herself with Jack, with whom she spends a magical night of love.

1994 (#32) - Rick's desire for revenge and Brad's hopes with Ashley

Having archived the intense but fleeting infatuation with Jack, Mari Jo at the mere sight of Rick immediately rediscovers her dormant feelings towards her former lover. She finds herself smitten with Rick, and knows that Rick's help will be needed to satisfy her desire for revenge. When Ashley sees Mari Jo kissing Rick, she is literally shocked. Not knowing that Rick's twin brother is present, Ashley believes that the person Mari Jo has been kissing is actually her husband, Blade. Completely disappointed and distraught, an enraged Ashley immediately kicks Blade out of the house and, completely unaware of what has happened, desperately asks for an explanation from the woman, who has no intention of listening to the man's justifications. All under the proud and satisfied look of Rick, whose revenge is about to begin. Determined to make a clean and decisive cut with his previous life, meanwhile, Brad as we have seen has refused to return with his ex-wife Traci and to interrupt the passionate but loveless relationship with Lauren. After much reflection, Brad realizes that the only woman he truly loves and is willing to live with for the rest of his life is Ashley. Ashley, meanwhile, is completely shocked by what she saw and believes that her husband Blade is cheating on her with Mari Jo, unaware that the man she saw is actually her twin brother Rick. When a chance encounter occurs between Brad and Ashley, the two confess to each other that they were actually just thinking about each other. Both of them tell each other about their recent events and Brad doesn't hide the fact that he hopes for their reconciliation. Ashley, of the two, is the one least willing to give it all up for Brad, if only because she's committed to a marriage she'd like to make work. Blade, meanwhile, seeks explanations from his wife about his behavior, but she, angry, continues to accuse her husband of disappointing her and of not being able to trust him anymore, without going into the matter. However, in the end, Ashley and Blade agree to give themselves a second chance and decide to try to make their marriage work by focusing on themselves.

1994 (#29) - The Jack and Luan' story, the breakup with Mari Jo and the return of Rick

Already put to the test by Jack's discovery of his hidden past with Blade, the relationship between Jack and Mari Jo suffers a new blow, this time decisive to its breakup, due to the reconciliation between Jack and his Vietnamese family, namely Luan and his son Keemo. Mari Jo is evidently not at all happy with the attention Jack is paying to Luan at this time and shows herself to be jealous on several occasions. When Jack, who is still angry with her, refuses her proposal to go skiing in the mountains in order to offer Luan and Keemo a cruise to the Caribbean, she struggles to keep calm and hide her anger. Now deeply in love with Jack, Mari Jo promises herself that she will do anything not to lose him; however, Jack seems to have already forgotten her in order to reunite with his lost love from so many years ago. However, when Mari Jo informs Luan of her relationship with Jack, who is evidently behaving gallantly towards her and Keemo out of a sense of duty and to hide his feelings of guilt, Luan abruptly backs out and cancels his vacation with Jack, who is evidently disappointed and disconcerted by Luan's sudden change of plans. Mari Jo's life, all turned upside down at this moment to win Jack back, is however disrupted when Rick Bladeson shows up in front of her. Rick Bladeson, in front of a shocked Mari Jo, reveals himself to be alive and well, informing her that he has been saved. Rick informs Mari Jo that he intends to take revenge on Blade and begs her not to tell anyone that he is still alive. Mari Jo, excited by the sudden arrival of her former lover, suddenly puts aside her plans to get Jack, who in the meantime reconciles with Luan, with whom she begins a relationship.

1994 (#19) - The animosity between Neil and Malcolm and working in the photo studio

Neil and Drucilla's happy marriage is shaken when Neil's half-brother Malcolm Winters arrives in town. Between Neil and Malcolm, who haven't seen each other for years, since the day of their father Ellis Winters' funeral, there has never been good blood; in particular, Neil considers his younger brother a good-for-nothing and a slacker who will never get anything done in his life. Malcolm, too, can't stand his brother's excessive, almost boring seriousness, which he says is incapable of enjoying life. It's Drucilla, knowing the pain that estrangements and family conflicts cause, having experienced them first hand, who tries to calm the animosity between the two, leading Neil to accept his half-brother and start a new relationship with him from scratch, convinced that in this way he can discover a person he didn't think he knew. And so, when Malcolm, thanks to a little help from Drucilla gets a job in Blade's photography studio, the boy shows Neil that he has become a reliable person, leading the man to admit that he had made a bad judgment about him, the relationship between the two takes a positive turn.

1994 (#15) - Mari Jo's painting, Blade's admissions, and the breakup with Jack

Having met at Ashley and Blade's wedding, neither Jack nor Mari Jo could have imagined that their acquaintance would turn into great passion. Between the two, evidently, there is a great understanding, to the point that the girl for a moment forgets all her problems related to Blade and focuses on the passion and virility of a man like Jack. Back from their honeymoon in Paris, meanwhile, two very much in love Blade and Ashley find themselves unwrapping the last wedding gifts they received. When Ashley notices a beautiful painting, she wonders who could have sent it to her. The painting, signed with the name "Mari-Lyn" is evidently the work of Mari Jo, but a nervous Blade, who immediately recognizes the hand of his ex, denies to Ashley that he understands who it might be. Intrigued by this, Ashley asks Paul for help in tracing the identity of the person who sent him that gift. Meanwhile, Jack and Mari Jo get engaged and the two soon discover they are in love, to the point that the man gives Mari Jo an engagement ring at the culmination of a romantic marriage proposal. The woman, in a mixture of disbelief and ecstasy, accepts the proposal with great joy, which Jack soon makes public to the entire family. Ashley congratulates Jack on the big step, while Blade looks more and more worried and dark in the face. Paul, meanwhile, reveals his findings to Ashley, informing her that the handwriting of "Mari-Lyn" matches that of Mari Jo. It is now clear that Marilyn is none other than Mari Jo, and her suspicions are confirmed when Ashley is able to read the name on Mari Jo's driver's license. When Ashley, in the presence of Blade and Jack, asks Mari Jo why she gave them a painting as a gift without revealing herself, the situation becomes hot. In the end, Mari Jo and Blade, obviously cornered, admit to the two brothers that they have known each other for a long time and that they have had an affair together in the past. The confession upsets Ashley as much as it does Jack. Jack, deeply disappointed by Mari Jo's behavior, who has kept something so important from him, immediately decides to end his relationship with the woman, while Ashley, to say the least, upset and bitter about the discovery, gives a poisoned look to Blade, whose marriage at this point already seems to be shaky.

1994 (#13) - The marriage between Ashley and Blade

After a few months of engagement, everything is finally ready for the wedding between Ashley and Blade. The photographer, having overcome the initial resistance of the woman and her family due to his mysterious attitude towards her past, finally convinced everyone of his sincere feelings for the girl, and showed John and Jack his work skills that are invaluable to the company. Happy to see Ashley happy with him, the entire Abbott family rallies around the loving couple and begins preparations for their wedding. All this without anyone, especially Ashley, suspecting anything about Blade's dark past, even though Mari Jo continuously threatens to blackmail the man, who, ignoring the woman's words, continues to organize and plan his life with Ashley. A seemingly calm and serene Blade, thus, arrives at the altar with a very much in love Ashley, with whom he declares his eternal love under the eyes of a proud and moved John, who hopes that his daughter has found her soul mate as he did with Jill and his sister Traci with Steve. Mari Jo, of course, also attends the wedding, watching the two of them exchange their vows, full of anger and petrified; for her, however, this is not a day to forget, since at the ceremony she makes the acquaintance of Jack, the only remaining bachelor of the Abbott family, with whom she begins to flirt.

1994 (#11) - Blade's secrets, history with Mari Jo, and Rick's drowning

The happiness and serenity of Blade, who is beginning preparations for his marriage to Ashley, is shattered when a girl named Mari Jo Mason is hired as head of Jabot's art department. Visibly unnerved by Mari Jo's presence, Blade hides his concerns from Ashley but can't help but try to avoid the woman lest he come to terms with his past again. It is Mari Jo, however, who contacts what turns out to have been her ex-boyfriend, Blade. After both of them realize that they have changed their names, since in the past Mari Jo's name was Marilyn, the woman reveals to the man that she has been informed of his upcoming marriage to Ashley and, while wishing him well in his new life, invites him to a meeting to talk to him, assuring him that his secret is safe with her. Blade, however, not at all happy to find himself face to face with Mari Jo, who is evidently still in love with him, refuses the invitation. Blade then accuses Mari Jo of her betrayal with her twin brother Rick, informing her that he has never forgiven her and wants her out of his life. Mari Jo, disappointed by Blade's hostile attitude, with whom she hoped to reconcile, reminds Blade not to play with fire, as she is the only witness to what happened in his past and would be ready to reveal it if necessary. In fact, it turns out that in the past Blade, after discovering he was betrayed by Mari Jo, starts a violent argument with Rick, with whom he starts a frightening brawl along an abandoned pier. When Rick loses his balance and falls into the water, Blade, knowing that his brother was unable to swim, ignored his pleas for help, leaving him to drown under the eyes of a helpless and distraught Mari Jo, who has just arrived on the scene and who sees this tragedy unfolding in the distance. Blade orders the woman to leave Genoa City, giving her a four-week ultimatum to settle her contract at Jabot.

1993 (#27) - Ashley's friendship, Victor and Hope's bond, and Cliff's hopes

Ashley's return to Jabot not only allowed her to reunite with her boyfriend, Blade, at work and put to rest any risk of disagreement in her professional life, but also allowed Ashley to find a great friend. From the very first day of her return, Ashley made the acquaintance of Hope, whose constant presence in the company soon became normal. Hope, in fact, never wants to be away from Victor and, more importantly, wants to find employment since she doesn't know how to stay idle at the ranch. Ashley immediately takes a liking to the woman, appreciating her sunny disposition and her great will of spirit that allows her to face any challenge, despite her blindness. Hope, on the other hand, doesn't see this as a defect or a lack, having never actually lost her sight but simply grown up without seeing. Meanwhile, Cliff Wilson, Hope's former man, arrives in town, bitterly regretting letting Hope go without a fight. Cliff is so intent on getting the woman back and returning with her to Kansas. Cliff soon finds himself allied with Nikki, who obviously pursues the same goal, wanting at all costs to regain Victor's heart. But despite Cliff and Nikki's hopes to regain their respective partners, Victor and Hope don't seem to have any intention to break up, and on the contrary they show themselves to be more in love than ever.

1993 (#23) - Carol and Skip's departure and John and Ashley's return to Jabot

Upon Victor's return to Genoa City, the relationship between Ashley and Blade is put to the test for the first time. The woman, in fact, determined with her father not to overlook Jack's expulsion, decides to resign from her position at Jabot; a gesture that Blade, on the contrary, decides not to make, becoming, moreover, one of the key men in the new organizational structure of Victor's presidency. Blade and Ashley, however, despite their professional disagreements, promise each other that work matters will not interfere with their romantic relationship, which in fact happens. The relationship and the mutual feelings between the two of them, therefore, prove to be much stronger than either of them could have imagined, thus reinforcing the conviction of the two of them in continuing to organize their marriage. As time goes on, moreover, Blade plays a key role in convincing both Ashley and John to put aside their personal resistance and return to their family business, despite Victor's continued strong policy of keeping rival Jack out of Jabot. Blade and Victor's pressure to get John and Ashley back to work is obviously motivated by their professionalism, experience and love for their company; but, more concretely, it is also motivated by Victor's real needs, as he is forced to replace two important members of the company staff, Carol and Skip, who announce to everyone that they have decided to leave Genoa City to go to Philadelphia, where they plan to start a new life and raise little Skylar together. Taking the place previously occupied by Skip and Carol is Blade, who chivalrously gives up his seat on the board of directors of the company in favor of John and Ashley. The new company organization chart is thus defined only a few days after the departure of Carl and Robbins, who are embraced and greeted by the entire company in a moving farewell ceremony.

1993 (#21) - The return to the city, Victor's revelation and the clash with Jack

When Victor hears on a radio news report that Jack Abbott has taken the helm of Jabot, as well as Newman Enterprises, the man realizes he must return to reclaim what is his. To do so, he decides to return to Genoa City and devise a plan to do so in the most surprising way possible. Victor, thus, manages to get in touch with his friend and faithful Douglas, who is bewildered and overjoyed to see Victor again; he begs him to keep his silence, at least until he comes back to the city, and he also asks him for information about what happened during this period. Douglas thus updates him on all the events that have taken place since his disappearance, and Victor cannot help but notice that everyone seems to have, in one way or another, moved on with their lives. After that, Victor becomes even more convinced of the need to return to Genoa City to take back what's his, and in doing so he asks Hope to follow him. The woman, by now hopelessly in love with Victor, accepts without a second thought, believing it to be the best thing for Cliff as well, who in this way will be able to forget her more easily and get on with his life. Back in town, Victor rents a tree room and in the meantime begins to send all his loved ones an anonymous invitation to a "meeting of great importance and significance" to be held in the Colonnade Hall, an important convention building. Here, Victor shows up and reveals himself to everyone, much to the dismay of all the guests. Katherine, Rex, Nikki and Victoria run to embrace him, overjoyed to see him in the flesh and thanking the Lord for answering their prayers. Less happy seem to be Jack, John and all the Abbotts, who fear now that they will lose everything and wonder how Victor will react and especially what he will do now that he is back in town. Victor's number one priority is, of course, to take Jack out of all his companies; and having naturally returned in possession of both the Newman Enterprise and Jabot, Victor removes Jack from every position, offering the vacant position to Brad, who is once again forced to refuse since Lauren would not release him from his contract for any reason. When Victor is forced to ask John and Ashley for help, offering them to return to the company, the clash between the Abbotts and Victor is inevitable. John and Ashley, in fact, both refuse Victor's offer, informing the man that as long as Jack is not welcome in his companies, they will refuse to enter, not being interested in any role. Jill herself, moreover, shows her support for John when she resigns due to her pregnancy. The Abbotts, then, are more united than ever in their fight with Victor, who, however, seems determined not to give up, confirming Neil and Blade as key men in the new company structure.

1993 (#16) - Relationship with Ashley and curiosity about Blade's past

After ending her marriage to Victor, Ashley began dating Brad, also free after his divorce with Traci. However, the relationship with Brad does not take off as hoped, and this is mainly because of the closeness between Brad and Lauren, always in close contact at Fenmore. The breakup between Ashley and Brad came when Brad rejected Jack's proposal to return to work at Jabot in favor of staying at Fenmore. This gesture led Ashley to believe that the man is planning to start a relationship with Lauren, despite the latter's marriage to Scott. Disappointed by Brad, Ashley thus decides to devote herself exclusively to work. It is here that she meets the handsome and charming Blade, a well-known photographer who has been working with the company for years in the marketing department and who, as mentioned, is now appointed by Jack as sales manager. Ashley, the purchasing manager, finds herself spending a lot of time with the man and soon, inevitably, begins to develop an interest in him. Ashley and Blade begin dating, although Ashley continues to find something mysterious about the man. Blade, feeling increasingly committed to the woman, calms her down and allays her concerns. Blade, in fact, assures Ashley that he is not hiding anything; he has simply changed his name, from Alex to Blade, in an attempt to escape an unhappy past and an evil brother. As time goes by, Blade becomes an important figure for Ashley, for whom he is always there, as when at Victor's disappearance she feels a part of herself is gone. And so, despite the ups and downs, they both realize that they have fallen in love with each other. When John and Jack have also shown their approval of the relationship, Blade decides to propose to Ashley. The woman, surprised and caught off guard, enthusiastically accepts the proposal, thus beginning to plan a future with the man.

1993 (#14) - Victor's presumed death and the division of the Newman empire

The sudden absence of Victor is initially welcomed without too much surprise by the inhabitants of Genoa City; all of them, Jack, Victoria and Nikki in particular, are in fact aware that the man is living a very difficult and particular period as he has not been able to find, after the divorce with Ashley, a purpose and a balance in his life. A Victor who, according to Jack, has, in his own way, only caused pain to Nikki, who has lost her baby, and to Victoria, who has repeatedly shown signs of impatience and rebellion towards her father, especially regarding her relationship with Ryan. As time goes by, however, we begin to worry more and more about the lack of news until the Kansas authorities go to the Genoa City ranch informing everyone that they have found Victor's car burned down. The police officers explain, to everyone's amazement and dismay, that his Rolls Royce was involved in a fatal car accident in which, unfortunately, the man lost his life. In fact, the man found in the car, now unrecognizable due to the fire but with Victor's driver's license beside him, is not Victor at all, but the thief who stole his car. But this no one in Genoa City is aware of. In the general grief, it is Jack soon, on the business side, who takes matters into his own hands. At the top of his mind, in fact, is the fact that now, according to the agreement made with Victor himself, Jabot would be back in John's control. Victor's lawyer, Jerry Peters, is the one who opposes the takeover, and he tells everyone that Victor had already gone to court some time ago, in great secrecy, to cancel his consent to the agreement. In spite of this, Jack, John and Ashley managed to assert their rights and convinced Judge Aaron Wayne to grant them a favorable ruling. And that's not all; the Newman Enterprise itself is entrusted to the Abbotts, something that gets great media coverage. Jack, overjoyed by the victory, embraces an enthusiastic John, who after so many years can finally regain control of his company. John, as the new President, immediately appoints Jack as Managing Director, who lets himself go celebrating with his secretary Jennifer Qualls, while Ashley confirms that she will continue her work in purchasing. Blade is also confirmed as sales and marketing manager, as well as the company's official photographer, and finds himself working more and more closely with Ashley, with whom he starts a successful friendship. Blade himself, also, after Brad's rejection of his contract with Fenmore, advises Jack to appoint Neil, husband of his friend Drucilla, as assistant manager. Jack, wishing to repay Drucilla for the wrongs done to her by Jill in the past, agrees to promote Neil, who proves to be reliable and strong-willed.

1992 (#18) - John's jealousy over Jill and Blade's relationship

Even though the idea of a double wedding didn't work out, Jill has absolutely no intention of giving up her attempts to win John's heart. On the other hand, the man himself seems more and more amused by the ways and attitudes of the woman towards whom he is evidently strongly attracted. Determined to finally make a decisive breakthrough in order to make John's heart hers, Jill decides that the best tactic is, as always, to make the man understand what he stands to lose by renouncing her; in short, she decides to make him jealous. Jill's opportunity comes when John himself assigns Jill to work closely with Blade Bladeson on Jabot's advertising campaign. Between Jill and Blade there are skirmishes right from the start about whether or not to hire Drucilla; however, Jill is very good at exploiting this situation to provoke the man, who soon finds himself willingly or unwillingly caught up in Jill's attempts at seduction, which causes John to see them together more than once. The relationship between Blade and Jill even becomes almost public when the woman doesn't hide the fact that she is dating Blade and openly declares that she has no intention of waiting for her dreams to come true, having now become very realistic. In the end, the woman as always succeeds in achieving her goal, which is to make the man she is aiming for, John, jealous. And so when he shows annoyance, though not admitting it, that Jill is neglecting him, he first imposes that the collaboration of Jill and Blade for the advertising campaign be cancelled, leaving the responsibility to Blade alone. Moreover, John goes so far as to accept, after months and months of requests from the woman, Jill's proposal to move in with him, in the annex of Villa Abbott. Jill, overjoyed, is more and more convinced that soon there will be a new marriage for her. The only one who is not at all happy about the situation is of course the usual Jack, who is seething with rage at the idea of having to welcome Jill back into the family.

1992 (#12) - Drucilla's photo shoot and the red light film scandal

The relationship between Drucilla and Neil, between ups and downs, seems to grow stronger and stronger. Drucilla, in this period, continues to follow the course of dance and ballet, but is increasingly attracted by the prospects of working in show business, dreaming of becoming an actress or, thanks to Neil's work at Abbott, a model. Drucilla's true chance at fame and fortune comes when a director named Vinny Russo notices her and writes her for a film promising her a great career. Unfortunately, Drucilla realizes too late that what Vinny has planned for her is an X-rated film and it is only the intervention of the usual Nathan that stops Drucilla in time. Concerned about the fact that she has already shot a short sequence of the film, the woman is however calmed down by Vinny, who promises to destroy the video. Despite this bad adventure, Drucilla does not give up on achieving her goals, despite Neil's futile attempts to convince her to concentrate on ballet, where she could have a leading role in the show Giselle. In the end it is Blade Bladeson, Neil's colleague at Abbott and a professional photographer, who realizes how suitable Drucilla might be as the new testimonial for Jabot's advertising campaign. Jill is against giving the role to Drucilla, and from the very first meeting with the girl, she doesn't hide the fact that she doesn't trust her, considering her to be a good-for-nothing who can only bring trouble. Neil himself is perplexed by the decision, especially regarding the fact of proposing a black face as testimonial. Neil's position causes a lot of tension in his relationship with Drucilla, who accuses the boy of not wanting her to have a career at Jabot. Just when Blade manages to convince Jill, with great difficulty, to give the role to Drucilla, and Neil seems intent on making it up to her with a special appointment in which to give her an engagement ring, the cold shower arrives like a lightning bolt for Drucilla, who sees her pictures of the red-light audition and then of the preview of Vinny Russo's film "Sensuality" on the front page of every tabloid magazine. Drucilla is furious with the man for having used, or rather exploited, her image for the promotion of her latest film, while in turn Jill bitterly regrets having agreed to the decision to hire Drucilla, who soon finds herself in the middle of a scandalous storm. The girl, completely shocked by the incident, is also called upon to settle things with Neil, who is certainly not pleased that Drucilla has kept the matter from him. Devastated by what has happened, Drucilla returns Neil's ring and, in refusing a job offer at Jabot, announces to everyone that she intends to leave town.