Everyone Learns Ava Leaked the Recording of Natalia — and Scott Gives Her a Helpful Piece of Advice

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Carly helps Joss move in, and Joss catches her on the phone with Diane talking about any updates to keep her out of prison. Joss asks, “Don’t make me ask what is going on.” Carly explains the only way to get Jason out from under the FBI could be for her to go to prison.

They sit down, and Carly explains the FBI has been holding a recording of her over Jason’s head. It’s from when they thought Sonny was dead, and she went to a meeting of the five families, stating she was running the Corinthos Organization. Joss asks why she’d do that? Carly explains she was trying to protect all of them, Sonny’s family at the time, from retribution. She says someone was wearing a wire and there is a real risk she may go to prison.

Joss isn’t surprised Jason protected her mother, as he went to prison to protect Michael once. Carly says she wanted to turn herself in, but Jason said that would mean everything he had given up these past two years was for nothing. Joss agrees with Jason, but Carly says in the end, the FBI still might come after her no matter what Jason does for them. Carly explains she’s been talking to Diane to devise a plan, but Jason thinks it’s not worth the risk. Joss says she knows her mom and Jason have a history of saving each other. Joss states if she were her youngest kid, she’d tell her to do what she has to do, but she’s not, and her mother can’t leave Donna in Sonny’s hands.

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Joss understands her mother’s situation, as she now realizes going to Anna to ask him not to hire Dex was wrong. Joss says she sees now Dex has changed. Carly asks what has changed for them? Joss says things are different now. She explains they are close, they are friends, but they get to decide now what they mean to one another without having to think of everyone else around them. Carly sees she’s happy, and she’s happy for her.

At Deception, Maxie agrees they need to make it known they don’t stand with Natalia’s views, but they will not fire Blaze. Maxie wants to make it clear that they stand by Blaze’s ability to come out on her own terms. Lois agrees, but Lucy snaps that she doesn’t get a vote here. However, Lucy agrees that they should keep Blaze.

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Nina arrives, having just heard the news. She promises she’ll handle The Invader and Adrian, but right now, she’s here to help them. Maxie says they were just going to discuss damage control. Nina thinks she’s come just in time. Nina says the latest issue of Crimson has a two-page spread for Deception featuring Blaze, and she paused it before going to print for whatever they decide. Maxie says they stand by Blaze, and Lucy says they could do a two-page spread on the history of Deception. Lucy gushes that she can give an interview. Maxie says her last attempt to sell on TV was a disaster.

Lois says she has a suggestion, that they give the space to allow Blaze to speak out. Nina says that won’t work, and Lucy agrees, as they are supposed to be selling products. Maxie suggests a simple message, “No One Cancels Love” in white font on a black pain background, with their company name under it. Everyone agrees it’s a great idea, as it takes the pressure off of Blaze and steers to conversation in the right direction. Nina says she’ll get on it, and Lois says her work is done and departs.

Scott asks what is next? Nina says Adrian DeWitt will answer for what he’s done.  Nina calls DeWitt in, and he assumes they are here to praise him and thank him for all the website clicks he’s generated for all of them. Nina says that’s not the case, as Deception is their favorite client, and this was a damning and inflammatory article that hurts them.

Nina demands to know who gave Adrian the recording, which was clearly a doctored with only one side of the conversation. Nina asks if he ever thought that running a hit piece aimed at Sonny’s daughter wouldn’t look like she set out to hurt her ex-husband using the paper? She again demands to know who gave him the recording or he can clear out his new office. He blurts out, “Ava Jerome.”

Meanwhile, Lucy orders Scott to drop Ava as a client, and Maxie is shocked to learn Sonny and Ava are fighting over custody of Avery. Adrian decides to leave, and Nina advises him not to breathe a word of this to anyone. Lucy again tells Scott, “Drop Ava or no more you know what with you know who.” Maxie asks them to take this out of her office.

Lucy and Scott leave, and Maxie can’t believe this is her life. Nina fires Adrian, but he cries that he told her his source. She says, “No good journalist would give up their source.” Nina tells him to go, but Maxie stops him. Maxie suggests Nina keep DeWitt on and force him to print only what she wants him to. Should he disobey, he will be fired, exposed for his part in this mess, and won’t be able to find a job anywhere with his journalistic integrity in ruins. Nina likes the way Maxie thinks.

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At Kristina’s, she takes the phone from Blaze so she stops reading the online comments calling her a coward. Blaze again is so sorry for what this has done to her and her center. Kristina says she’s done apologizing and to listen to her now. Kristina says her personal life is her own and she owes her fans great songs and great shows, but she owes them nothing else beyond that. The same goes for her, and people don’t have the right to know who they are dating or why they’ve made the decisions they have. The people blasting them online are the ones in the wrong. The person who should be ashamed is whoever leaked this recording. She forces Alison to say she knows that, which she does.

There is a knock at the door, and Blaze worries it is a reporter who may have gotten through the doorman. It’s Sasha, who says her doorman recognized her and let her in. She explains she was out shopping when the story hit, and she says that as someone whose life has blown up in the media more than once, she has some advice.

Sasha knows how horrible Blaze probably feels right now, but she has nothing to feel ashamed of. She advises her to stay inside, not go online, and not pay attention to the angry mob outside. Sasha says they will go away in time, and the haters can be loud, but she has so many people on her side.

Nina arrives, and apologizes profusely to Blaze and Kristina both for the article. She assures them that Adrian is being punished for publishing the story without her approval. They all wonder who it was who leaked the recording. Ava lets them know it was Ava Jerome.

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Alexis arrives at Ava’s Metro Court room. She tells her that DeWitt has already given her up. She says hurting her is one thing, but hurting her daughter is another. Alexis says she heard the recording, but she has nothing to do with this. She claims Nina hates her, and she is clearly framing her. Alexis says she could just subpoena her phone records, but Ava says she has no basis for that and asks if it has been that long since she was disbarred that she needs a lesson on the law. Alexis surprises her that she got her license back, and is working at Diane’s firm. However, she won’t be taking clients on just yet, as she’ll be working on this big, brutal blood bath of a case. She suggests Ava guess what it is.

Ava says even if she did this, it’s not illegal to record someone in private in New York state. Alexis says while Blaze is a public figure and therefore gives up some level of privacy, her mother is not, and she has the right to a private life. Alexis says what she did falls under malice, and that is what she’s going to argue in court. Ava calls it a stretch and also says whoever released that recording did the public a favor and exposed Natalia as a bigot. Alexis says she never pegged Ava for a homophobe. Ava states she’s not, she wants everyone to live their truth. Alexis wonders if that applies to her and a certain murder.

Ava claims she’s never killed anyone. Alexis thinks Connie’s family wouldn’t agree. She tells Ava to look around, her daughter isn’t here, she is alone, and she has no friends. Alexis says she lashes out and ends up destroying her own life in the end. She says this conversation will be helpful in court and teases that she may have recorded it, or she may not have.

Later, Scott is summoned to Ava’s, and she tells him all about this lawsuit Alexis is trying to bring against her. She wants him to talk to her and tell her they are friends. Scott doesn’t speak to Alexis, claiming she always looks down at him. Besides, she’s not a lawyer. Ava notes clearly she’s not the last to learn, and Alexis has her license back. Scott calls this very bad. He says Alexis is a formidable opponent, and the stunt she pulled today won’t help her get custody of Avery. Scott informs her that she’s screwed unless Sonny kills someone on camera or has a nervous breakdown in public. Ava gets a look in her eyes.

At Sonny’s restaurant, Sonny tells Natalia that her remarks didn’t just hurt her daughter, they also hurt Kristina. He explains online activists think she’s ashamed of being gay and don’t want her involved with the center she created. Natalia says she’s sorry. Sonny notes she said the words, but Ava is the one who leaked the recording and will pay for it.

Natalia explains the circumstances of the conversation and that while he is very supportive of Kristina’s sexuality, she is still struggling with it all. She had no idea Ava would record their conversation. Sonny says there is no limit to how far Ava will go. Natalia should have listened to her instincts, but she was arrogant. She thought she could handle anything that anyone could throw at her until now. She doesn’t understand why Ava would do this. Sonny never thought she’d come after his daughter like this.

Natalia says she was blindsided when she heard that recording. She didn’t recognize her own voice at first, but then to see the look of shock and betrayal on her daughter’s face… She says that recording could send Blaze’s career up in flames. She explains she always kept her own feelings to herself, so Alison never had to have the distraction of knowing… Sonny says, “What you are really like?” He relates his own issue recently with Kristina seeing him in a negative light, without going into details.

Natalia believes Kristina is a lovely lady. Sonny knows she loves her daughter and treats Kristina with respect. However, Ava hurt his daughter to get back at him, and Natalia and Blaze were collateral damage. Sonny promises to take care of Ava.

Alexis arrives, and has words with Natalia about her hurtful remarks. Natalia says she can’t help how she feels. Alexis says she can, and she should open her mind. Sonny tells Alexis that Natalia is his guest and she should go. Natalia says she is the one who needs to go, and she departs.

Sonny states that he hates what Natalia said, but she didn’t release the audio. Alexis came to talk to Sonny to make sure he knew it was Ava who released it. She wants to know what they will do about that. He asks what she’s planning. She is going to take her to court and try and decimate her reputation. Sonny says he’s going to make Ava’s life not worth living, and Diane is going to make sure never sets eyes on Avery again.

Natalia goes back to her room at the Metro Court and leaves a message with Alison, begging her to call her back and let her explain.

On the next General Hospital: an encore episode airs for the holiday. On Friday, at Deception, Maxie says to Brook Lynn, “I take that back, you wish you wanted to.” At the pool, Jordan informs Drew this could be a unique opportunity for the both of them. Joss tells Dex, “That couldn’t be further from the truth.” Back at the pool, Curtis is going to do everything in his power to make something happen. Kristina confronts Natalia and yells, “I have never been more serious about anything in my entire life.” Dante warns Sonny if he goes after Ava then he will lose Avery.