Just as quickly as The Young and the Restless’ Billy (Jason Thompson) told Lily (Christel Khalil) he was willing to take a back seat at the new Abbott-Chancellor in an effort to get Victor (Eric Braeden) to back off, in the episode airing on August 13, Billy changes his mind.
He shares with Lily that he spoke with Jill (Jess Walton). His mother doesn’t want him slinking off into the shadows of Abbott-Chancellor because he’s afraid Victor will try to come after the company. Plus, she’s not a fan of him using her medical condition as an excuse not to be the face of the business.
Beyond his mother’s wishes, Billy also notes that he’s had time to think about his previous conversation with Lily to take a step back, and he now thinks they should proceed as they intended to all along, with him and Lily running things. He doesn’t want to "run scared" when it comes to The Mustache.
This sudden shift in opinion leaves Lily’s head spinning. She’s taken aback by his new resolve and his equally different attitude towards her. Billy accuses her of using this Victor threat as a way to basically manipulate him into leaving Abbott-Chancellor so she can run the company by herself. Additionally, Billy pinpoints her still holding a grudge because Jill gave her power at the company to him instead of her.
Lily scoffs at his idea and is adamant this was never about kicking Billy out of Chancellor and resuming power by herself. While she admits to not being happy about Jill blindsiding her with Billy’s rise in power, Lily insists she genuinely wanted to work with Billy and hoped they could take the business to new heights prior to Victor’s threats. Billy counters that if she still believes in what the two of them can accomplish and she wasn’t plotting against him, she’ll sign off on a press release announcing the both of them as the face of Abbott-Chancellor.
After reading the statement, Lily is vehemently against it. She believes the goals outlined are too lofty. He, of course, disagrees, and more arguing between the pair ensues. She claims she doesn’t have to stay there and can go work at Winters, and he replies she’s not going anywhere because she wants to see Chancellor be a success. He accuses her of not wanting to share power, and she fires back she doesn’t want to run the company based on his gut instincts or his desire to prove something to people and himself.
Lily then storms out of the office and heads for a drink at the Athletic Club. Unfortunately for her, she’s approached by Phyllis (Michelle Stafford). At first, Phyllis thanks Lily for settling things with Daniel (Michael Graziadei) and then pivots to her and Lily having recent heartbreak in common. At several points in the conversation, Lily tries to make it clear that she doesn’t want to talk. Phyllis being Phyllis, ignores the hint.
The conversation then turns to Billy. Phyllis is surprised that Lily didn’t leave Billy behind to work with Devon (Bryton James) at Winters, and she warns Lily about falling victim to Billy’s charms, as he’s a " guy who is only out for himself." And before the episode ends, Phyllis asks Lily if she would be more comfortable working with her own family.
With all of that being said, is there a chance that Phyllis could be angling to be Billy’s number two at Abbott-Chancellor, replacing Lily? It seems rather odd that Phyllis all of a sudden has so much concern about Lily and her professional choices. It practically sounded as if Phyllis was egging Lily to leave Billy high and dry at the company.
Given Phyllis is still unemployed after quitting Chancellor-Winters in solidarity with Daniel, she could use a job right about now, and it’s not like she has a line of people wanting to hire her. She may be a brilliant tech guru and hacker, but all of her antics over the years with the residents of Genoa City haven’t made her the most popular person in town. So perhaps she figures if she can convince Lily to leave Abbott-Chancellor, she can then convince Billy to hire her.
Should Phyllis and Billy pair together this go-around, we can only predict trouble will come knocking as Victor would most assuredly be more determined than ever to take Chancellor and fold it under the Newman Enterprises umbrella with the duo running things.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
