Beyond the Gates Recap Jan 20: Joey threatens Leslie, Chelsea took drugs in front of Madison

In the Beyond the Gates recap for Tuesday, January 20, 2026, Vanessa gave Nicole a business card, Kial and Carlton compared notes, Joey didn’t like a phone call he overheard, Chelsea took drugs, and Leslie got blackmailed and made a deadly offer in the same day.

Beyond the Gates Recap

At the country club coffee shop, Andre and Nicole caught up. She was en route to meet Vanessa, and he was headed to the country club party. Nicole mentioned she’d had a surprising connection with someone recently.

On the other side of the coffee shop, Vanessa was taking some selfies to send to Joey while she waited to meet Nicole. Leslie came by so Vaness told her that she was surprised by Joeys’ gesture to dedicate the clinic to Doug. “My clinic? Is that so?” Leslie asked haughtily.

Leslie went straight to the casino to tell Joey her displeasure with his idea to dedicate the clinic to Vanessa’s late husband. Joey didn’t care for her disdain, or her mouth.

Joey told Leslie that he went to Bill and had the papers drawn up, it was a done deal and he expected her to sign them, period. Joey showed her a thumb drive and said it was his guarantee.

Leslie looked at what he had on the thumb drive on a laptop. She applauded his theatrics but said she had notes. “Notes on blackmail? I gotta admit that’s a first,” Joey said. Leslie told him he should try a public setting next time. 

Leslie wasn’t deterred by Joey’s threats. She said the name of the clinic wasn’t being changed. Joey tossed the drive at her on her way out as a reminder of who had the upper hand. 

Meanwhile, Vanessa told Nicole that she was doing everything she could to connect with her daughter, Deanna, but it was strained. Nicole was encouraging, saying that her attempts were there and suggesting that her relationship would get better if she gave her space.

Nicole shared that she had a date with Kial and was getting close with Carlton, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to commit. Vanessa handed Nicole a Heart Attach business card and suggested she find her a man who would be willing to give her some attention.

Nicole was flabbergasted when Vanessa said that the escort was under new management: hers. Vanessa told her how well the company was doing.

Nicole wondered if it was even legal, but said that if Vanessa wasn’t worried about being arrested, she wouldn’t, either. Vanessa teased that she had a judge as a client and that confidentiality was her mantra. Nicole took another look at the business card and smiled.

Upstairs, the Hamiltons continued their celebrations of Naomi and Chelsea being BRCA gene-free. Hayley wanted to bring Bill home ot get him some more of her tea made with love, but he wanted to stay.

Under Hayley’s watchful eye, Bill told Dani he could read her relief and offered his support. Hayley quickly approached and offered hers as well. Andre walked in, and Bill watched as he and Dani kissed.

Jacob was trying to tell Naomi and Chelsea a work story, but they were tuned out. Chelsea was bored and was focused on more thrills in life. Chelsea wanted to go somewhere more fun.

Once alone, Naomi told Jacob she was fine. She said that now that she knew the test results, she knew what her future looked like, and she could face it head-on.

Chelsea went by the bar and told her mom and Andre that she was bored by the shop talk on the couch with Naomi and Jacob. “Ugh…who’s talking shop: Law or Order?” Dani quipped. Chelsea said she was heading to the hospital to find Madison.

Dani and Andre interrupted Jacob and Naomi as they kissed on the couch. Naomi had just suggested to Jacob that they go home for a private celebration, so they took off.

Andre realized that Naomi had forgotten her phone and ran after her. As soon as he left, Dani poured herself more champagne, and Bill walked over. Andre turned around and saw how quickly they were sitting together.

Andre and Hayley joined Bill and Dani at the couch area of the club as Leslie walked in and sat at the bar. Hayley tried to get Bill to leave again, but he ignored her and reminisced with Dani instead.

Hayley not-so-accidentally knocked her champagne on Bill’s shoes. Andre took that opportunity to exit with Dani. 

Hayley went to the bar to get a towel, where Leslie asked if she was finding creative ways to keep Bill interested. Leslie told Hayley a summary of her history with Bill.

“From the looks of it, he is making your life miserable, too,” Leslie cooed. She told Hayley not to play the innocent ingénue with her as she could tell Hayley was playing a long game that was nearing its end. “From the looks of it, you’re running out of time,” Leslie told her.

Leslie suggested that she and Hayley team up to take Bill down. When Hayley went back to Bill, she suggested they go to St. Barts, but he said he was too busy. Hayley glanced over at Leslie, who raised her glass towards her.

Dr. Kial Rollins came off the elevator and passed the nurses’ station while Shanice was arguing with the kitchen staff. Kial asked if Shanice had seen Nicole but she hadn’t seen her all day.

Kial told his friend that he and Nicole had gotten to know each other well after Winterfest. He asked for intel on Dr. Carlton Fitzgerald as they had a consultation. 

Shanice said they had something in common, but that was all she could get out before Carlton appeared. As the men walked away, she chuckled that things were about to get interesting. 

Later, Madison was telling Shanice about her meeting when Chelsea arrived and shared that she didn’t have the BRCA gene. Madison was happy, and Chelsea wanted to party to celebrate.

Nicole got to the nurses’ station as Carlton and Kial were scheduling a patient with Shanice. “There’s my fun-loving adventuress,” Carlton smiled. He introduced Kial, but he said they went way back.

Carlton noted he thought he knew all of Nicole’s friends. “Even her dates?” Kial asked. He told Carlton he went to Winterfest with Nicole. “So you were my stand-in,” Carlton replied. He patted Kial on the back as he thanked him for his service.

Kial told him it wasn’t a hardship. “Unless I’m mistaken,” he said as he turned to Nicole. She smiled as she responded that he wasn’t mistaken, and it wasn’t a hardship at all.

Vanessa went to see Joey at the casino. They were making out when a man called and accused Vanessa of pimping men to his wife. Vanessa told him they were a dating service, and if he had an issue to talk to his wife, not her.

The man barked that Vanessa was about to make his problems her problems. When she hung up, Joey wanted to know what that was about. 

Vanessa said that she was a woman in business and they got talked to differently than him. Joey wanted to go after the guy but she said she would handle it.

At Uptown, Chelsea got some recreational drugs from a friend and wanted Madison to take some with her. Madison was quite taken aback and said Chelsea didn’t have a free pass to be reckless just because she tested negative. 

Chelsea told Madison to ditch the stethoscope and have fun. She popped one of the pills and hit the dance floor while Madison took a seat.

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