CBS [05/26/2025] Days of Our Lives Full Episode: Alex caused Stephanie to lose her career.

CBS [May 26, 2025] – Days of Our Lives Bombshell: Stephanie’s Secret Novel Threatens Her Career, and Alex May Have Lit the Match

On May 26th, Days of Our Lives delivered a slow-burning but explosive episode centered on betrayal, vulnerability, and the risks of turning your past into prose. Stephanie Johnson, once the steady hand of PR brilliance in Salem, is now at the center of a scandal that could destroy everything she’s built—thanks in no small part to Alex Kiriakis, the man who claimed to care… and may have cost her everything.

A Manuscript Never Meant to Be Seen

Stephanie’s steamy, emotionally rich manuscript was never supposed to see the light of day. It was a private project—her escape from the chaos of handling Salem’s public disasters. By night, she spun fictional tales laced with desire, heartbreak, and deeply buried memories. But when Alex stumbled upon the document while helping organize her files, he didn’t just read it—he was captivated.

“It’s brilliant,” Alex told her. “Raw. Sensual. Emotional. It’s a bestseller waiting to happen.”

Stephanie was stunned—and horrified.

Alex’s Secret Pitch to Kate

Against Stephanie’s wishes, Alex brought the manuscript to none other than Kate Roberts Brady—Philip’s mother and former head of Titan Publishing. He pitched it as the perfect relaunch title for Titan’s dormant publishing division, selling it as “romance with heat” and “tastefully written smut with substance.”

Kate, intrigued, took the manuscript home. She had no idea the anonymous author behind the book was the same woman who had once been engaged to her son Philip—and whose fictional characters mirrored their real-life romance with uncanny detail.

The Ghost of Philip Kiriakis

Stephanie’s refusal to publish was never just about modesty or fear of fame. It was about Philip. Their past was electric—intense, passionate, and short-lived. But the manuscript revealed everything: private weekends, whispered moments, and emotional scars. One chapter practically transcribed their beach house getaway, moonlight and all.

Stephanie feared not just professional exposure, but personal humiliation—especially if Philip read the book and recognized himself. The risk? That he’d reveal her as the anonymous author. Worse? That Kate would read it first.

And now… she had.

Stephanie’s Breaking Point

When Stephanie learned that Alex gave the manuscript to Kate without her consent, her trust was shattered.

“You betrayed me,” she said. “You knew what was in that book. You knew what it would cost me.”

But Alex had already crossed the point of no return. His desire to help Titan—and perhaps impress Kate—had blindsided him. He believed in her work. He believed in her. But now, that belief might cost Stephanie her reputation, her privacy, and her career.

The Fallout Has Just Begun

Kate is reading the manuscript—and she’s hooked. But what will happen when she connects the dots? When she realizes her son’s past with Stephanie is immortalized on the page? And if Titan moves forward with publication, will the scandal be worth the success?

Meanwhile, Stephanie is left with a career on the brink, a secret no longer safe, and a choice to make: reclaim her story or let it bury her.

One thing is clear—Days of Our Lives is masterfully weaving a storyline where passion, betrayal, and ambition collide. And as always in Salem, the past never stays buried for long.