Anxious to take a breather from his troubles in Genoa City, Victor left town for an extended trip in the country. During his trip, he was robbed of his money and car. In Kansas, he rescued a blind woman named Hope from a rapist. Meanwhile, the thug who had stolen his car died in an automobile accident.

In Genoa City, everyone presumed that Victor had been behind the wheel when his car crashed. Now they believed him dead. A power struggle for control of Newman Enterprises quickly erupted between Jack, Brad and Ashley. Nikki, who was grieving over Victor's death, accepted consoling from Cole. To show her appreciation for Cole's friendship, Nikki introduced him to a publisher in New York, Steve Connelly, who agreed to publish Cole's first novel. Unaware of the friendship developing between Nikki and Cole, Victoria said that she was interested in making love to him. Instead, Cole pursued an affair with Nikki. When Victoria learned of their involvement, she told Cole of her love for him. Soon after, Cole wrote to his mother and said he had fallen for Victor Newman's daughter.

Nikki suspected that Cole was seeing another woman when he suddenly appeared distant. Eve Howard received Cole's letter and was immediately distraught because she believed Cole had fallen for his half-sister. She quickly arranged a trip to Genoa City, but became ill and slipped into a coma. Although Cole was worried about his mother's health, he proceeded with his plans to elope with Victoria. Eve briefly regained consciousness, but died before she had a chance to tell Cole that Victor was his father. Not long after Eve's funeral, Cole and Victoria eloped to Las Vegas.

Jack succeeded in gaining control of Newman Enterprises. When Victor heard the news, he returned to Genoa City, where he learned from his pal, Douglas, that everyone thought he was dead. After overhearing a conversation between Nikki and his children, Victor mistakenly believed that no one missed him. He asked Douglas not to reveal the truth and headed back to Hope's farm in Kansas. Victor's presence created a dilemma for Hope. She was attracted to him, but she accepted a marriage proposal from her longtime friend, Cliff. While wedding plans were underway, Victor arranged to return home. When Hope learned of Victor's plans, she told Cliff that she couldn't marry him. Disappointed, Cliff broke the news to Victor. Soon after, Hope accompanied Victor on his return to Genoa City.

Everyone was stunned to learn that Victor was still alive. Nikki was relieved because she continued to have strong feelings for Victor. However, she felt threatened by Hope's presence. Nikki suggested that Victor was helping Hope out of gratitude for the kindness that she had shown him in Kansas. Feeling out of place and worried that she was interfering in Victor's relationship with his family, Hope headed back to her farm. At Newman Enterprises, Victor fired Jack for taking control of his company. Upset by Jack's dismissal, John and Ashley resigned. Soon after, they made plans to create a rival cosmetics company. Unfortunately, their loan papers were denied. The stress caused John to suffer a heart attack. Out of love for his family, Jack promised Victor that he'd stay away from Jabot, provided Victor rehire Ashley and John.

Victoria continued to flirt with Ryan, who was still with Nina. When Ryan approached Nina about having sex, she turned him down, saying that she was interested in a longtime commitment from him. Ryan agreed to live with her, which Nina interpreted as a trial marriage.

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