1994 (#6) - The exhumation of Eve's body, the wedding between Victoria and Cole

Determined to know the truth about Cole's paternity, Victor, in agreement with Dr. Cohen and Douglas, decides to exhume Eve's body and inform Cole himself of the test to establish the truth once and for all. Upon examination of the DNA test, the comparison between Victor's sample and Cole's establishes, to everyone's amazement, that Victor is certainly not Cole's father; but, incredibly, neither is Marvin. In any case, the discovery that Cole and Victoria are not related creates discordant feelings between the two young people. On the one hand, there is the joy and happiness of being free to be together again; on the other hand, there are the difficulties of resuming a relationship after having said goodbye and having already started planning a new life without their respective partners. A few weeks passed during which Cole and Victoria were undecided about what to do and simply tried to get back together, until the spark that had led them to fall in love broke out again. Cole and Victoria decide to remarry and finally begin their life together. Victoria's happiness, however, is tempered by her critical relationship with her father; the girl, in fact, reproaches Victor for having ruined their marriage by revealing an untrue fact without even checking it out. Unable to forgive Victor, Victoria decides not to invite him to the wedding in spite of everyone, Nikki above all, trying to reason with her. Bitterly, Victor is therefore forced to follow his daughter's wedding on the sidelines and away from prying eyes from the back of the chapel. At the end of the ceremony, a piece of news upsets Victor; it's Paul, who reveals to the man on the phone that Cole's DNA is compatible with that of a criminal in the police database, namely Rick Daros. In fact, it turns out that Rick Daros, even before he escaped from the psychiatric institute with Eve, knew each other and evidently had a flirtation. Victor, thus, can finally reveal to Cole the identity of his father and, in time, he is also able to make peace with his daughter Victoria and re-establish a strong and unbreakable bond with her.

1985 (#3) - Rick's capture, meeting with Eve and escaping from the psychiatric facility

After a few months on the run, Rick Daros' escape ends. The news reaches two enthusiastic Victor and Nikki, who are informed by the state police that they have arrested the dangerous criminal as he was preparing to leave the state. The couple are so happy to finally be able to turn the page and close that sad chapter of their lives for good, hoping to never have to deal with the man again. In the meantime, he still manages to avoid jail by obtaining a mental illness medical certification; and the man is thus taken to a psychiatric institution, the same one where Eve Howard is hospitalized. As soon as they met, Eve and Rick immediately recognized each other; the two, in fact, were romantically involved in the past just before Eve met Victor and was hired as a secretary. And now that they have found each other again, both of them, without the need to exchange a single word, understand that they must run away from the institute together. Eve and Rick thus began to plan an escape from the center; an escape that was soon put into practice and completed. Once free, Eve and Rick can finally begin this new chapter of their lives together, and both agree that they must leave the United States. A few days later, Rick and Eve meet as lovers in Genoa City, where they reach Victor's ranch. Not finding anyone, since Nikki and Victor are on vacation, Eve sneaks into the house and manages to steal a few thousand dollars that allows the two to escape to Europe with the firm intention of starting a new life, together with little Cole.

1984 (#14) - The trip to St. Croix, the rescue of Nikki and the injuries to Victor

While Andy and Paul finally convince themselves of Rick's dangerousness, they convince Nikki to go on a journey. Not particularly fond of sea areas, Rick says he plans to visit Chicago, until Rick confesses to Nikki that he has already booked a week on the Caribbean island of St. Croix, a destination that Nikki eventually accepts gladly to be with the man she loves. Once on the island, Rick is so ready to carry out his plan that he finally reveals the true identity of Rick Daros, who is nothing more than a serial killer ready to kill by drowning. Paul and Andy, meanwhile, immediately warn Victor of the danger Nikki is in and, having informed the man about all the events concerning Rick, convince themselves of the need to stop him immediately. Victor is unable to track them down, so Victor calls Nikki, but she cannot answer the phone in time, as Rick has stolen her phone, and without being heard, Rick starts talking about Nikki by calling her by the name of Melissa. After some research, Andy and Paul discover that Rick and Nikki are in St. Croix and they leave with Victor in the hope that it's not too late for Nikki. Luckily for the woman, a furious tropical storm is breaking out on St. Croix, preventing them from exploring underwater as Rick says he wants to do. Forced to shop and buy souvenirs, Nikki appears annoyed and eager to leave for Genoa City, but Rick manages to make sure that she is given a few more days until the weather improves. Paul, Andy and Victor, meanwhile, faced with prohibitive weather conditions, finally arrive on the island, where they start asking around if anyone has seen Rick and Nikki; finally a waiter directs the three of them to the hotel where they are staying. Meanwhile, Rick and Nikki argue furiously and the woman wants to end this holiday, which is turning into a nightmare as soon as possible; Rick then starts acting increasingly hysterical, revealing the truth about Victoria's fatherhood, which leaves Nikki speechless. The quarrel soon turns into a furious fight in which Nikki manages to escape from Rick's grasp, but the next day he tracks the woman down and forces her under threat to put on the diving suit. As Rick and Nikki set sail away from the coast, the man notices that Paul, Andy and Victor are following him. Once caught up, Paul manages to save Nikki on a surfboard, while in the fight between Victor, Andy and Rick is the first to get the worst of it, being wounded by a sea rifle shot that catches him in the groin. Andy finally manages to put Rick on the run, finally thwarting the assassination attempt and saving Nikki's life.

1984 (#12) - Glidden's murder and the coincidence with Rory's book

Ignoring the fact that Paul and Andy have poked their noses into his past, Rick continues his relationship with Nikki, increasingly in love with the man. However, Rick's life is disrupted when a mysterious man named Glidden Dickson contacts him by phone, implicitly letting Rick know that he knows more about Melissa's death than anyone else knows. Deeply shaken and disturbed by the phone call, an icy Rick asks Glidden for an appointment to meet. Rick, however, is not at all intent on talking to the man and, waiting for him from inside his car, runs him over as soon as he arrives at the appointment. Glidden dies shortly afterwards in the hospital, and because of a report by Glidden's brother, Robert Dickson, against a hit-and-run car, Paul is called to investigate the case. Paul is shocked to realize that the hit-and-run car that killed Glidden matchs with Rick's car, and he is even more shocked to learn that Glidden is connected to the island of Manui, having lived there for several years before returning to live in Kansas. Paul decides to reopen the investigation on Rick; and, at the same time, it is Andy who contacts Paul himself, revealing that he has discovered a book called "Death in Paradise", written by a certain Rory Davis, which accurately describes the story of Melissa's death, despite being set on another unspecified island in the Pacific, presenting it as an intentional murder of man. Andy and Paul can't believe that Rory isn't in any way connected to Rick; in fact, after a lot of research, they discover that there isn't a writing with this name at all and that most probably the author is Rick himself. Alarmed, Andy and Paul decide to start acting to understand something more from Rick himself and eventually to stop his diabolical intentions towards the oblivious Nikki.

1984 (#9) - The wedding between Andy and Diane and the honeymoon in Manui

After about a year of relationship, the long-awaited wedding day arrives between Andy and Diane, who declare their eternal love for each other under the moved eyes of their family and friends. When Paul congratulates Andy and wishes him a happy and joyful married life, he is surprised to learn from the man that they are going on their honeymoon to the Pacific island of Manui, the same island where Rick's ex-wife Melissa Daros died. Paul brings Andy up to date on Rick's ongoing investigations and asks the man to try to find out something during his stay on the island. Andy, however, convinced that the episode is due to accidental drowning, knowing the dangers of the sea on the island, he agrees to investigate and ask a few questions around, since he notices that Paul is strongly convinced of Rick's involvement in the case. When Andy arrives to the island, he immediately consults the historical chronicles of the newspaper, learning that three years earlier a woman had died in a tragic accident while diving, having filled her oxygen tank with carbon monoxide. This immediately arouses Andy's curiosity, who starts asking questions and finds out that the dead woman is Melissa Daros. Andy immediately calls Paul to bring him to the island, where he informs him of the incident. More and more convinced that a murder is behind Melissa's tragic accident, Paul, together with Andy, manages to track down Peter Brown and Nasha Perkins, the couple who immediately rescued Rick and Melissa after the accident. However, neither of them remember anything strange, convinced that the episode was just an incredible fatality. Paul thus returned to Genoa City with many more doubts and the thought that perhaps it was just an unfortunate episode in Rick's life that he didn't want to talk about. Paul thus informs Kevin of everything he has learned and the man, now resigned to having to give up Nikki and Victoria, leaves Genoa City definitively declaring that he wants to convince his mother to return with him to San Francisco.

1984 (#6) - The suspicions about Rick's past and the investigation into Melissa's death

After returning from England with Victoria, Nikki became convinced that only Rick could be the right man to start a family with. The attraction between the two was never lacking from the first moment they met and at this point Nikki realized she wanted to start a new life with him. The woman, therefore, is very intrigued to meet the man she hopes will soon be her husband. But when Nikki gets to know him better she asks him about his past. Rick seems very closed and shy about it, dismissing the matter by always referring to a very monotonous and boring life. Obviously, before Nikki entered it, with whom he seems to have established an indissoluble bond and with whom he consumes all his passion for the first time. Meanwhile, Kevin, who realizes that he cares a lot about both Nikki and Victoria, begins to have doubts about Rick, suspecting that behind his taciturn and frank character there is something secret hidden. Kevin thus contacts Paul to find out something about Rick's past and soon the man informs him that he has discovered that Rick was previously married to Melissa Daros, who died a few years earlier drowning during a trip with Rick himself in Manui. Kevin and Paul himself, who of course still cares a great deal about Nikki, begin to seriously wonder why Rick has always kept this important side of his life hidden before his arrival in Genoa City and, not trusting the man at all, are increasingly convinced that there is something underneath.

1984 (#1) - Allison's escape to England and Rick's return with Victoria

After Allison and Kevin left for San Francisco with Victoria, it wasn't easy for Nikki to accept that she had lost her little girl. The depression and despair over allowing Victoria to get custody of Allison is only tempered by Rick's proximity. After the scandal of Nikki's pornographic film and the events that preceded Tony's death, Rick was the only one who was truly there for the woman he is now in love with. However, their lives are turned upside down when Kevin and Earl suddenly return to the city informing Nikki and Rick that Allison has escaped from San Francisco with Victoria without leaving any trace behind. An alarmed Nikki informs Victor so quickly to ask him for help and he, after checking that she has not crossed either the Canadian or Mexican border, sets out on a search for her with Kevin. Rick, however, is the only one who understands where Allison may have run off to. Remembering that the woman had told him about a picturesque village in England called Appleshaw, where she confided in him that he would like to live, Rick immediately flies to England to find the woman and convince her to return Victoria to him. As expected, Rick has no trouble finding the woman, but she refuses to leave him the child. Rick then shows the intercepted letter in which Katherine confesses to Nikki that the father of the child is not Kevin, but Victor; and the woman, realizing that the custody obtained is in fact invalid because Victor and not Kevin is Victoria's father, Allison hands the child over to the man. Katherine, meanwhile, accuses Nikki of letting the child slip through her fingers with her unsuitable behaviour to a mother; and just as Victor is about to take her defense by confessing that he is him and not Kevin the father of the child, Rick returns with Victoria in his arms. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief as Nikki embraces her daughter and kisses her hero Rick. Victor, who has no intention of interrupting what seems to be a family, decides to keep Victoria's fatherhood a secret, wanting to focus on his relationship with Julia.

1983 (#23) - Nikki's findings on the Hot Hips video and contact with Boobsie

Allison's surprise at getting custody of Victoria, and the sudden departure with Kevin to San Francisco, without giving Nikki a chance to see Victoria one last time, upset her. Desperate and inconsolable, Nikki rejects Rick's attempts to comfort her, feeling that without Victoria her life no longer makes sense. Soon, however, the thought of what happened leads Nikki to want to see the whole film Hot Hips in which she would be present. The woman, in fact, if she understands that Leroy could have filmed her during her shows, she doesn't understand how it could result in a porn film, having never shot one in her life. Nikki doesn't take long to discover the truth, which is that with the exception of a few clips where you see her dancing, a stunt double is used throughout the rest of the film and is never framed in the face. Convinced that there is still a chance of regaining Victoria's custody, Nikki goes to the Bayou to ask Leroy for information about the video. After repeatedly apologizing to Nikki in defense of having been forced to record her shows, he refuses to say who produced the film for the safety of both of them. However, Leroy admits to knowing the girl who shot the scenes in her place. She is Boobsie Caswell, a prostitute who, after being tracked down by Nikki, admits her identity in the video. Convinced by Nikki that she too wants to start her own career as a porn actress and prostitute, Boobsie introduces Nikki to Tony, who appears visibly happy to meet the woman. Nikki's intentions are clear: to seduce Tony in order to get back the copy of the tape and all the rights to the film, so that he can withdraw it from sales and destroy it; naturally after proving that she is not the protagonist of the film.

1983 (#21) - Kevin and Nikki's divorce and the temporary custody to Allison

Victor's reappearance after his presumed death did not lead to a reunion with Nikki, as she most likely would have hoped. Having overcome this parenthesis of confusion in Nikki's heart, she is once again determined to maintain her relationship with Kevin, especially for the sake of little Victoria on whom she intends to concentrate all her energy. So she decides to stop definitively her work at the Bayou and even to break up with Rick, who, however, is more and more insistent and starts to seriously regret tearing up Katherine's letter. But the problems for Nikki are certainly not over, and a new dramatic development is waiting to unfold. It all begins when the fugitive Tony Di Salvo returns to Genoa City, who after a period in which he disappeared in order to calm the waters, decides to return to the business as usual, with the firm intention, now, to become the boss, after Pete's death. Tony's move to immediately return to make money with the criminals is to exploit the video in his possession created with the hidden recordings obtained by Leroy from Nikki's services at the Bayou. Tony thus puts the porn film Hot Hips, in which Nikki's face is clearly visible, on the market; a film that immediately receives a resounding sales success. Allison, meanwhile, is increasingly bitter and disappointed that not even her attempt with Rick destroyed her son Kevin's marriage to Nikki. But just when she appears resigned, Allison receives a shocking news from her manicurist, Ruby Collins, confessing to this the success of the red light movie in which Nikki is the main character. Upon hearing the news, an incredulous Allison runs to buy the film and, on seeing it, is pleased to have in her hands the weapon that will decree the divorce between Kevin and Nikki. Allison threatens Nikki with telling Kevin the truth, forcing her to sign a document of temporary custody of Victoria by Allison. Nikki initially refuses to declare herself unfit to be Victoria's mother, but when Allison calls Ruby to ask her to spread the word, Nikki is forced to sign. Even so, the news of Nikki's porn film doesn't take long to reach Kevin. Kevin is incredulous and angry with his wife, calling this the straw that broke the camel's back in their marriage. Nikki can't believe that the woman in the video is her, defending herself that she did nothing of the sort and was simply discredited by Allison, but she is forced to admit that she is her when the evidence shows her face while dancing at the Bayou. Rick, meanwhile, defends Nikki and clashes with Kevin, angry at yet another disappointment of his wife, with whom he has a fight. After many of Kevin's divorce requests, all rejected by Nikki, in the end it is Rick who convinces Nikki herself that it is impossible to continue a loveless marriage with Kevin. So they fly to Haiti to speed up the divorce process.When she returns to Genoa City, however, Nikki discovers with dismay that Allison has arranged for Victoria's temporary custody, convincing Earl, Kevin and who she believes to be her granddaughter to leave for San Francisco.

1983 (#17) - Nikki's grief over Victor's death and Katherine's letter

During a romantic encounter with Rick in the dressing room at the end of her show, Nikki learns with deep sadness from the radio of Victor's death. The news upsets the woman, who grieves infinitely and becomes inconsolable despite Rick's efforts to comfort her. Meanwhile, the news of the man's death also reaches Katherine, who is aware of the secret story between Rick and Nikki and who has tried several times to restrain her by worrying about the negative repercussions that could be caused to Nikki if the relationship between the two became public. Katherine also begins to seriously question, now that Victor is dead, whether or not to tell Nikki the truth about Victoria's paternity. Initially Katherine decides to respect Victor's will to keep the secret, but soon, however, even observing Nikki's unhappiness in feeling oppressed in a marriage with a man she loves, useless sacrifice not being Kevin the father, she decides to reveal the whole truth after Victor's funeral. Katherine, however, fails to meet Nikki, who, deeply marked by grief, decides to leave Genoa City for some time. Katherine, then, decides to send a letter to the woman confessing the whole truth. The letter, however, is intercepted by Rick, who thus learns the whole truth about Victoria. Initially, he wants to run straight to Nikki to tell her the truth, which would certainly induce Nikki to end an unhappy marriage, and at this point, useless, to be with him. When Rick, however, comes to Katherine for clarification, sees the woman talking to Victor himself, who updates him on all the events that have happened and his plan to pretend to be dead, Rick does not take long to realize that he cannot tell Nikki the truth. Nikki's reactions to Victor's death, in fact, have revealed the true feelings of the woman, who evidently still loves Victor. Frightened more by Victor than by Kevin, therefore, Rick prefers the woman to remain bound to Kevin rather than hand her over to Victor, seen as the only true rival in Nikki's heart. So Rick hides the letter and decides to keep Nikki in the dark about Victoria's fatherhood. But if Rick keeps the truth from getting out, he can't stop real feelings from getting out. When Nikki finds herself crying at Victor's grave, it is he who appears before the woman's incredulous eyes; Victor explains all the events that concern him, and there is an immediate spark between the two of them. Despite the passionate kisses between the two, however, Victor also decides to keep Victoria's fatherhood a secret, wanting to give his story with Julia a new chance.

1983 (#9) - Nikki's relationship with Rick and the problems with Kevin

Kevin's forgiveness of Nikki, if on the one hand strengthens the marriage between the two, on the other causes a deep split between Kevin and Allison. The man's mother, in fact, cannot understand how Kevin could have forgiven the woman, which Kevin defends fiercely, convinced, after the explanations and the sincere request for forgiveness, his wife will no longer disappoint him. Allison, meanwhile, promises herself that she will end Kevin and Nikki's marriage at any cost, even if it is the last thing she does. With this in mind, Allison contacts through Leroy the young and handsome Rick Daros, a loyal client of the Bayou and an admirer of Nikki's performance, with the sole purpose of driving Nikki away from Kevin. In fact, Allison's plan, in agreement with Leroy, is to get the man to convince Nikki to return to his job and, at the same time, to get Nikki and Rick to get emotionally involved. Just as Allison had planned, Nikki soon gave in to Leroy and Rick's new pressures and secretly resumed working at the strip club. More and more frequent are the fleeting but passionate encounters between Nikki and Rick, who always finds himself enthusiastic about the woman's performances and whom he meets frequently after the shows in the dressing room. This is how Rick and Nikki's relationship soon begins. Rick's feelings for the woman, however, are so sincere that Rick defends Nikki by not confessing anything to Allison about his relationship with Nikki and their romantic outings from time to time. It is, however, increasingly clear to Nikki's eyes that her marriage to Kevin is destined to be short-lived; the woman wishes she could love Kevin, but is forced to admit that she doesn't love him at all, despite the fact that she considers her marriage fundamental to give little Victoria a future, her one and only priority.