Y&R SHOCKER: Daniel Walks Away From Dream Project — While Claire Defies Victor for Love!

At Crimson Lights, Kyle chats with Billy about his return to Jabot. When Kyle asks Billy about his new venture, his uncle admits there are still things they are working out. It may not be his first media venture rodeo, but he’s planning on showing the old dogs some new tricks. Kyle asks if he’s confident he can pull it off. This offends Billy, but Kyle is sincere. He knows that building a company from the ground up is a lot of work.

Billy apologizes and they recall their old opposition. Kyle explains he’s put his former anger behind him; Victor taught him a few lessons the hard way. He’s learned that happiness and trust all start with family. Now is the time for the Abbotts to stick together. Kyle knows that Billy got a raw deal from his mom and Victor and wishes him all the best. “Even if it is with Phyllis,” he adds, reminding him she was his mother-in-law. Billy is confident she’s loyal to the bone. Kyle can concede that and wishes him the best again.

Daniel Stuns Phyllis

Phyllis hurtles into the Athletic Club and practically pounces on her son, who can see she’s in full form again. She says she’s ready to brainstorm and to create the “wow” factor. He wonders how many coffees she’s swallowed so far. She gushes about them soaring to bigger heights now that she doesn’t have psychos after her. Her son wonders if she’s really ready for this. Maybe she could use some time to center herself? Phyllis doesn’t want to take a vacation just so she can listen to people mispronounce her name. She wants to take action and she’s so excited to have her son by her side. Clearly, he’s a lot less excited. Daniel tells his mother it’s nice to see her happy about something other than hellfire and retribution. He’s sure the business could be exactly what she needs. “It’s ours!” she insists, sure this is the best thing to get him out of his grief.

Billy joins Daniel and Phyllis and backs her up, saying Abbott Communications is ground zero for something amazing, but he quickly gets the impression that Daniel may no longer be on board. Phyllis insists her son simply needs to get the lay of the land so he can figure out how to showcase his talents. Daniel admits he can’t figure out what he wants to do about anything. He’s feeling blocked. His mom wants them to brainstorm, but Daniel suggests they just shove him somewhere. Billy wants him to be a vital piece of the company, but Daniel doesn’t know what to do next. Phyllis insists they are the dream team and starts cheering. Billy wants to have faith in this, but he’s not loving this lack of passion or creativity. “I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Daniel admits. He hates to disappoint his mom, but he can’t move forward. After Daniel walks out, Billy admits he didn’t expect things to go this way. Phyllis runs after her son as Sally enters.

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Billy tells Sally that it looks like the triad of Abbott Communications just blew up in his face. Daniel just told him he doesn’t know what he wants. That makes sense to Sally since he just lost the love of his life. Billy gets it, but Phyllis and Daniel are a package deal. If Daniel is gone, she may be too. Sally says that if she goes, he can move on to Plan B. Billy doesn’t have one of those. She’s shocked he doesn’t given that Phyllis is his partner, and suggests he consider other options. Who else could he trust? The only person he can think of is Sally. She’s driven and pushes the envelope.

Sally is flattered, but her passion is in fashion. Marchetti Z is where her heart is. Billy would never want to pull her away from something she loves. She asks who else he trusts. He trusts big brother Jack, but he’s busy. When she urges him to go it alone, he admits he needs a partner so this isn’t all about his ego. She agrees that the right partner is key. She’ll admit that Phyllis is loyal and explains that she came to her with her concerns about Dumas. The redheads agreed that the mystery man cannot be trusted.

Daniel Admits He’s Feeling Lost

In the park, Daniel tells Phyllis he can’t see what she wants happening. He doesn’t know what he wants in life or business. He just doesn’t want to disappoint her. He thought that one day the feelings he has would pass, but they haven’t. Phyllis knows a job can’t replace what he lost, but she thought it could give him some focus. Her son has been putting all of energy into looking after Lucy and finding reasons not to face what he’s feeling. Daniel hoped that time would make things better. Instead, it just seems to have opened up an abyss and all his plans for the future are gone.

Phyllis holds her son and tells him that having a place to go might be the first step to finding a purpose and focus for his life again. Maybe that could ease him out of his pain? Daniel believes the company could be amazing, but has a hard time seeing himself there. It seems like the universe is telling him that Abbott Communications won’t help him dig himself out of his hole. “Where do we go?” she asks. Daniel says, “Not us.” The company is for her. It’s where she needs to be. He can see that; it could heal her. Phyllis doesn’t want to do it without him, but he urges her to dive in headfirst while he figures out his next chapter.

Daniel Opens up to Tessa

Daniel drifts into Crimson Lights and over to the counter and orders a coffee. Spotting him, Tessa motions him over to her table and asks him for a clue to a crossword puzzle. He has the answer since he did it last night. They chat about crosswords until she notices he’s down. Daniel confesses that it feels like his whole life has hit the brakes. It’s been a dead stop out of the blue and he doesn’t know how to get back on track.

Phyllis Tells Billy That Daniel Needs Help

Phyllis returns to the Athletic Club, where Billy and Sally are still seated on a sofa. He asks Phyllis what happened with her son. She’d like to speak to him privately, but he says he has no secrets from Sally. Phyllis explains that Daniel is not okay and she needs his help.

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Claire Seeks Advice From Victoria and Nikki

Victoria and Nikki join Claire at Society. They crowd around Nikki’s phone to look at all the latest photos sent by Christian and Nick in London. Victoria and Nikki are taken aback when Claire suddenly announces that Kyle has asked her to move in with him. Nikki concedes that it makes sense since it’s hard for them to find time for each other. “To be honest, I think that it’s too soon,” Victoria declares. It’s a life-changing choice and she thinks it would be better to take things slowly so the relationship is on solid ground. Besides, Victor is on a rampage and this would be like throwing gas on a fire. The best course is not to make it worse. Claire doesn’t want to put her life on hold. Nikki chimes in to say that Claire and Kyle should do what feels right, regardless of how Victor feels. Victoria is shocked to hear her encouraging Claire to provoke “daddy.” She’s sure a provocation would be the best way to sabotage their relationship. They argue about what’s best for Claire and how wrong Victor is. Nikki refuses to let Victor dictate how Claire lives her life.

Claire taps her glass with spoon to get their attention. She says Kyle is willing to take the chance of setting Victor off. It may be naive of her, but she’s still hoping that her grandfather will eventually be able to see what a good man Kyle is. Victoria points out that he already knows that, but it takes a backseat to his obsessive grudge against Jack. Claire is hoping Victor will eventually realize Kyle is not his father. Victoria warns it will never happen. Nikki argues that Claire shouldn’t embolden Victor by doing what he wants. Claire’s still hopeful, and points out that he did come around to Cole. “It took a long, long time,” Victoria points out. Nikki warns Claire if she puts her romantic life on hold, she may lose Kyle. That’s not something Claire considered. She has no idea what to do anymore. This is all infuriating for her mother; Victor did the same thing to her for years. “How can he keep getting away with it?” she wonders. It’s wrong on every level.

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Nikki urges Claire to prove that Victor can’t win every battle and defy him. Victoria warns it won’t be easy, but she will be behind her. Claire hates the idea of upsetting her grandpa, but won’t break up with Kyle for him. “Especially since I’m falling in love with him,” she lets slip out. Nikki is thrilled for her. Victoria asks if Kyle has admitted he loves her. She wants her happy, not hurt. Claire insists what they have is amazing, and she can’t wait for what’s next. Kyle wanders in as she declares that she now knows what she needs to do next. When he asks what that is, she says, “Not just me, we.”

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Next on The Young and the Restless: Tessa comes to the rescue of someone in need of help.

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