It began with a knock on Gwen Rizczech’s hotel door. A bellboy, or so he claimed. But the young man standing in front of her wasn’t bringing room service—he was Douglas, and he had his eyes set on something very specific: the necklace Gwen was wearing. She greeted him casually, unaware that he had nearly broken in. A false smile. A polite excuse. A glance at the diamonds around her neck. But Gwen, now richer than ever, wasn’t paying attention. She had plans.

Moments later, Gwen arrived at the DiMera mansion with a surprising declaration: she was moving in. Kristen DiMera, lounging on the couch, did a double take—but within seconds, the two were in each other’s arms, giggling like old co-conspirators. Gwen revealed that she’d taken Kristen’s advice and approached the Von Leuschner family about her late husband Dimitri’s fortune. Now, she was filthy rich, and Salem was calling her name again. Kristen, ever the queen of calculated chaos, asked why anyone with a bank account like that would willingly come back to a city like this. Gwen didn’t flinch. “This is where my friends are,” she said. But even Kristen couldn’t hide her confusion. “I thought they all hated you,” she replied. Gwen smiled. “Exactly.”

But things inside the mansion were far from settled. Upstairs, Belle and EJ DiMera had been tangled in sheets and secrets. Their passion was undeniable, but as the sunlight poured in, Belle realized the clock had outrun them. She rushed to dress for court, only for EJ to lure her back in with food, charm, and yet another attempt at manipulation. He hinted that a new piece of evidence might clear Johnny’s name, and Belle, ever the ethical attorney, exploded. He was baiting her again—pushing her to drop the charges. She stormed out, leaving EJ and his eggs benedict behind. Kristen watched the chaos unfold and snickered to Gwen: “I told you, this house is a powder keg.”

Elsewhere in Salem, far from luxury and power, two young girls were fighting for their lives.

Holly Jonas and Arianna Grace had been kidnapped—held at gunpoint in a warehouse by a loan shark goon with a message: they’d be freed when a mutual “friend” paid what he owed. The girls, scared but sharp, began piecing things together. Holly admitted she was only there because of a guy she knew. Arianna nodded. Her guy also owed money. Then came the name that detonated everything—Doug Williams. Both girls had been seeing him. Both had been lied to. And now, both were collateral.

What began as teenage flirtation had spiraled into a life-or-death betrayal. Arianna accused Doug of using her as a backup when things didn’t work out with Holly. Holly insisted she was never romantically involved with him, but the hurt was done. Now, they were hostages—because of a boy they barely understood.

Back in town, Tate Black was spiraling. Holly hadn’t shown up at the lake, and no one had seen her or Arianna. He called, he texted, he waited. Then he ran into young Douglas, who played innocent. But Douglas wasn’t innocent. He was racing against time, trying to gather the money the loan shark demanded. When he spotted the thug outside the Brady Pub, he grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. “Let them go,” he barked. The goon didn’t flinch. He gave him until sun-up. No cops. No games. Just the money.

While Douglas negotiated with thugs and Gwen redecorated the mansion in her head, Chanel and Johnny DiMera tried to breathe through the paranoia. Both were suspects in the shooting of EJ, and though Chanel claimed she didn’t remember threatening him, Johnny believed her. Still, they knew the town was watching. To make things worse, Johnny found out Chanel had put Sweet Bits, her entire bakery, up as collateral for his bail. He was floored. She wanted him to know she believed in him—with everything she had. They embraced, exchanging confessions of love. But outside their apartment, the world was ready to pounce.

As the sun set on Salem, all lines began to blur. Power and wealth collided with desperation and youth. Gwen, now a self-declared Von Leuschner and DiMera, clinked glasses with Kristen, dreaming of lavish schemes. Kristen, amused and slightly wary, wondered aloud why anyone would choose to live in a house where Belle storms out half-dressed and EJ throws verbal daggers between kisses.

Meanwhile, Holly sat in a dark warehouse, praying Tate would realize something was wrong. She had dropped her class ring in the alley—it had her name on it. A clue. A lifeline. Arianna Grace, though furious with Doug, held Holly’s hand. “He’ll look for you,” she said softly. “And when he does, we’d better be alive.”

Kristen looked at Gwen with a smirk. “So… you’re really moving in?”
Gwen grinned back. “Oh yes. It’s going to be such fun.”

But fun, in Salem, always comes with a price.
How many lives will be broken before sunrise?