Philip’s secret partner is revealed to be Ava — who is none too pleased with the progress he’s making.

“He’s got some gambling debts,” sets up Tamara Braun (Ava). “He borrowed from her family and the way that he is paying back his debts is [by laundering money] through Titan. And she is not happy with him because he’s not doing his job, period, the end. She says, ‘I’m watching you. Take care of things or I will.’ With Ava, you never know exactly what that means, but I think from past experience, if you’ve ever dealt with Ava or the Vitalis in general, you don’t want to cross them.”

Philip further rankles Ava by speculating that she has actually returned to Salem to reconnect with her past love, Steve. “She tells him to get back to the business at hand, which is what he’s not doing,” says Braun. “Philip needs to just worry about his business and not Ava’s business, and that’s basically what she tells him. She says she’s not there for Steve … and then later, she goes straight to Steve’s [laughs]!”