Days of our Lives recap for Friday, October 25, 2024: Philip upends Xander's deal with Kristen

Kristen was sipping a coffee in the town square when she called Xander at the Kiriakis mansion. “What do you want?” Xander asked. “Is that any way for you to talk to the person who has the fate of your dear, sweet Sarah in her hands?” Kristen asked. Kristen asked Xander if he was ready for their meeting, and Xander sullenly said yes. Kristen reminded Xander that they would both benefit from the deal.

In the DiMera living room, Stefan was pouring a drink when Melinda walked in. “As requested, I’ve drawn up your divorce papers,” Melinda said. Melinda assured Stefan that the agreement included all the requested terms. Stefan hesitated to sign the papers.

“What are you waiting for?” Melinda asked. “I need a minute. This is the end of a marriage,” Stefan said. Melinda argued that if Stefan had needed time, he should have taken it before he had asked her to draw up the divorce papers. Stefan asked Melinda if was pushing him because she believed she had a shot with him once he was single. Melinda laughed.

“I didn’t think it was possible, but you are even more full of yourself than your brother EJ,” Melinda said. Stefan apologized for his joke. “Sign, don’t sign. I couldn’t care less,” Melinda said. Melinda walked out. As Melinda exited the house, she warned Kristen that Stefan was in a foul mood. With a chuckle, Kristen noted that no one could spoil her day. Kristen asked about the documents she had requested, and Melinda handed them to her.

“I don’t know how you made this happen, but it is quite the coup. Shin and the board are very excited,” Melinda said. “Well, they should be because once Xander Kiriakis signs these papers transferring control of Titan Industries to moi, DiMera Enterprises will be unstoppable,” Kristen said.

When Kristen entered the living room, Stefan was moping in the corner. “Is Gabi taking you for all you’re worth?” Kristen asked. “Settlement is fair,” Stefan said. Confused, Kristen asked why Stefan was depressed. “The problem is, I’m not sure I want a divorce,” Stefan confessed. Kristen was surprised that Stefan would want to remain married to a woman who had slept with his brother. Stefan noted that Gabi had only slept with EJ to get back at him. Stefan sniffled back tears.

“I never stopped loving [Gabi]. Not for one second,” Stefan whispered. “Who am I to judge? I mean, Lord knows I know all about not being able to move on from an ex,” Kristen said. Kristen advised Stefan to tear up the divorce papers if he was not 100% sure his marriage to Gabi was over. “Get your wife back,” Kristen said.

As Xander stared at Victor’s portrait in the Kiriakis living room, Justin marched in. “Is this some kind of sick joke?” Justin yelled. “So you’ve heard the news,” Xander muttered. Confused, Justin demanded to know why Xander planned to sell the family business to the DiMera family. “What does Kristen have on you?” Justin asked. “What Kristen has is a serum [from Dr. Rolf] that will cure Sarah’s paralysis,” Xander said. Justin sighed. “This makes a lot more sense then,” Justin said. Xander said he did not know how else to help his wife.

“I certainly am sympathetic to your problem. But as legal counsel–” Justin started. Xander interrupted to note that Justin had no say in the decision. “Victor gave Titan to me to do with as I choose. And I choose to trade it for this serum. There’s nothing you or anyone else can say that will change my mind,” Xander said. “Maybe there is something that I can say,” Sarah said as she entered the room. Justin left the room so that Sarah and Xander could talk privately.

“Justin is right. You can’t do this,” Sarah said. Xander dropped to his knees and asked Sarah to understand that he needed to do this for her. “Victor left you his company because he saw himself in you. If your father was alive, it would kill him to see you hand it over to that viper,” Sarah argued. Xander agreed.

“But you're also right when you say Victor saw himself in me. And we both know that if it was Maggie’s health that was at risk, Victor would move heaven and Earth. He would go to hell and back to save her, wouldn’t he?” Xander countered. “He would. But I am not dying. And it’s not like we need this serum to save my life,” Sarah argued. Sarah reminded Xander that she had accepted that she would never walk again.

“I’ve seen the brave face that you put on for me and for everyone else. But no matter how courageous you are, I also see what a struggle it is for you. So I couldn’t live with myself if I knew there was something that I could do to end that struggle, to end your suffering, and instead, I just chose to cling on to some empire,” Xander said. Sarah admitted she had struggled and suffered but that she considered herself lucky.

“As a doctor, I’ve seen people with disabilities go on and live full, vibrant lives. And I know I can be one of those people," Sarah pleaded. She told Xander he didn't have to do it and to tell Kristen he had changed his mind. When Xander told Sarah she did not understand, Sarah reminded him she was in the chair. “Doesn’t what I want matter?” Sarah asked. “Of course, what you want matters, darling. It’s just, I’m not only doing this for you. I’m doing it for Victoria, too,” Xander said. Xander rattled off a list of moments Sarah would miss out on with her daughter.

“Of course, I want those things. Yes, but at what cost? I’m not just gonna sit and watch you hand over your birthright, Victoria’s birthright, to Kristen,” Sarah said. “Victoria’s birthright is not Titan. It’s you, healthy and happy. I owe Victor nothing. I owe you everything,” Xander countered. Xander noted that he had been desperate for Victor’s approval until he had met Sarah.

“You saw me for who I am. You gave me your love freely. And all you ever wanted from me was honesty. Whereas my own father couldn’t bring himself to love me while he was alive. And everything he left to me after he died, well, it doesn’t measure up to what you’ve given me in our life together. So I’m sorry, darling. Your wishes do matter to me, but my mind is made up. When Kristen gets here, I’m going to give her Titan, lock, stock, and barrel in exchange for the serum that can help you walk again,” Xander said. Sarah shook her head no.

“I know that your heart is in the right place and that you’re doing this for me, but I cannot believe that you are giving Kristen what she wants without a fight,” Sarah said. “Did somebody say my name?” Kristen said as she walked into the living room. Furious, Sarah told Kristen that she did not have a conscience. “I know that better than anyone,” Sarah muttered. Kristen said she did not understand why Sarah was angry when the deal was good for everyone.

“God, your father must be so proud of you, looking up at you from the bowels of hell,” Sarah growled. “I’m going to take that as a thank you,” Kristen said. Sarah looked at Xander, and then she wheeled herself out of the room. “She is going to thank me, Xander, when she can walk. Now, do we have a deal or not?” Kristen asked as she held up a vial of the serum. Xander eagerly snatched the vial away, but Kristen noted that it needed to be combined with a second vial to work.

“So when do we get the second vial?” Xander asked. “When your shares of Titan Industries are successfully transferred to me,” Kristen said with a chuckle. Kristen offered the agreement to Xander for his signature. “I wouldn’t bother signing that, Xander,” Justin said as he walked in. Xander warned Justin not to make any further attempt to talk him out of the deal. “That’s not why I’m here. I’m here to let you both know that someone has filed an injunction prohibiting the transfer of Xander’s Titan stock to you,” Justin said. Furious, Kristen asked Xander what was going on.

“Your guess is as good as mine. Who filed the injunction? It couldn’t be Alex. We all know he’s not Victor’s son,” Xander said. “But I am,” Philip said as he entered the room. Xander glowered at his half-brother.

At the police station, EJ met with Fiona in the interrogation room and offered her the same ten-year plea deal he had offered to Brady. Fiona reviewed the document, but she refused to sign it. “You realize if I take this to trial, you’ll likely die alone in a cell?” EJ said. “You’re presuming I’ll be found guilty,” Fiona countered. EJ argued that Fiona had confessed to the crime, but she disagreed.

“I never admitted to [hitting Sarah and driving away], nor will I admit to anything else you think you can charge me with,” Fiona said. EJ groaned. “I don’t know what game you’re playing here, Ms. Cook, but I assure you it will not work,” EJ said. Fiona smiled, and she disagreed. EJ reminded Fiona that she had confessed to Xander, Sarah, and Brady. “I don’t recall having any of the aforementioned conversations,” Fiona said. EJ called Fiona despicable.

“Spare us your moral indignation because when it comes to moral superiority, you are standing on a house of cards,” Melinda said. Confused, EJ asked Melinda why she was there. Melinda advised Fiona not to say anything. Melinda confirmed that she was there to represent Fiona. When EJ asked about Melinda’s job at DiMera, Melinda pointed out that her contract allowed her to take on outside clients.

“My client is being accused of a crime she didn’t commit. She’s innocent. So I demand her release immediately,” Melinda said. Fiona smiled. “Both Sarah and Brady can positively identify that you were the woman that struck her that night and are both willing to testify to that fact in open court,” EJ argued. Melinda countered that the evidence would not lead to a conviction.

“If you seriously think that any one of a dozen of your client’s peers will be unsympathetic to Dr. Sarah Horton Kiriakis, the granddaughter of the pillars of our community, the loving mother of a one-year-old when she wheels herself into court to testify to the fact that her lush of a mother-in-law ran her over, then you are less of an attorney than I first thought,” EJ said. Unfazed, Melinda reminded EJ that Sarah had changed her story about what had happened the night of the accident multiple times.

“Making her a not-so-credible witness. And as for Brady Black, the man’s an addict, obviously, and has been accused of, among other things, killing his uncle in a drunken rage and throwing him into the river,” Melinda said. EJ reminded Melinda that Philip had framed Brady and was not dead.

“Be that as it may, Brady Black’s testimony in this case is certain to offer reasonable doubt after reasonable doubt. The man was so intoxicated on the night of the accident that he even believed he was the one driving the car. You see, he has changed his story also,” Melinda said. Melinda argued that there was no proof that Brady had not been the driver. “Save yourself the embarrassment and cut Fiona loose now,” Melinda demanded.

After EJ released Fiona, he returned to the interrogation room. “You’ll pay for this, Trask,” EJ said. “For what? Being a better lawyer than you are?” Melinda shot back. With a grin, Melinda said she was not worried about EJ’s threats because he would have his hands full with the mayor when she learned that EJ had failed to follow through on another case.

Sarah was rolling her wheelchair through the square when she saw Fiona sipping a martini at the cafe. “What are you doing out of jail?” Sarah asked. “The D.A. dropped the charges. Your mother-in-law is now a free woman,” Fiona said. Sarah stared in horror.

Gabi returned to the Hernandez home with food for Rafe, which he refused. Gabi insisted that Rafe needed to eat food with his pain meds. Rafe sighed as he read through a letter. “Are you okay? You look like someone died,” Gabi said. “Someone did,” Rafe said. Rafe explained that their Aunt Hilda had died. Gabi lamented that they had lost touch with their father’s family.

“Tía Hilda left me this in her will,” Rafe said as he pointed at a box. With a smirk, Gabi called Rafe the favorite. Rafe said Hilda had liked him because he had made her laugh. “We all tried to make her laugh. You were the only one who could,” Gabi said. Rafe joked that he was funnier than the rest of the family. Gabi encouraged Rafe to open the box. Inside was a ring box with Hilda’s engagement ring. Gabi recounted that all the cousins had wanted to try on the ring, but Aunt Hilda had sworn not to remove it until the day she died. The package included a note that instructed Rafe to give the ring to a worthy woman.

“You were like the son Tía never had,” Gabi said. “Yeah. Which is kind of sad because she does have a son,” Rafe said. Gabi noted that Rafe and Hilda had been kindred spirits. When Gabi noted that Hilda believed in true love, she sighed. “I thought I had finally found mi amor verdadero in Stefan. But now, it’s over between us forever,” Gabi said with a shrug. Rafe asked Gabi about the status of her marriage, and Gabi confirmed that Stefan had hired Melinda to draw up divorce papers.

Once Gabi confirmed that she was not concerned about the financial matters in the divorce, Rafe asked Gabi why she was upset. “I thought you wanted out?” Rafe said. “I did,” Gabi admitted. Rafe asked Gabi if she had changed her mind about Stefan. “I know I’m the one who called the time of death on our marriage, but I can’t help but wonder if I made the right decision,” Gabi confessed. Rafe told Gabi that her confusion was understandable.

“We were raised to believe that marriage is a sacred bond,” Rafe noted. “Yeah, but Stefan was the one to break our vows. I was so hurt and so angry when I found out that he slept with Ava while I was rotting away in Statesville. All I wanted to do was hurt him back by sleeping with his brother,” Gabi said. Rafe admitted he had known about Gabi’s tryst with EJ.

“But I’m getting the impression that you’re not sure you want to end your marriage to Stefan,” Rafe added. “I guess I’m not sure of that either. And Stefan seemed so sad the last time we spoke. I’m not sure this is what he really wants either,” Gabi said. Rafe asked Gabi if she was ready to end her marriage. “I thought I was. But if I’m being honest, I’m not sure,” Gabi admitted. Rafe advised Gabi, “Take the time to get out of your head and listen to your heart. And then, you will know what to do.”

After Rafe left for rehab, Gabi looked at Hilda’s ring and thought about when Rafe and Stefan freed her from prison. Gabi thought about other romantic moments with Stefan since her return home. There was a knock at the door. “Stefan!” Gabi whispered as she ran to answer the knock. A shocked Gabi stared at the visitor. “Oh my god,” Gabi said.

In the DiMera living room, Stefan recalled romantic moments with Gabi. “I will always be here for you when you need me,” Stefan had told Gabi. Stefan teared up at the memories and threw aside the divorce papers. Stefan looked up at the portrait of his father. “From what I hear, you never gave up on anything or anyone you ever wanted. I am your son, after all. I like to think I have that fighting spirit in me. And for that reason, I am not giving up on my marriage to Gabi,” Stefan said. As Stefan started to walk out, a masked person grabbed Stefan from behind and choked him unconscious.