The Young and the Restless Recap for Wednesday, February 19, 2025: Victor doubles down, Summer is called out

At the hotel, Diane suggested she and Jack sneak away for more romantic getaways. Diane had a craving for crab empanadas, so they got out of bed to get ready to go out for dinner.

At Society, Claire clarified that Victor would never accept her relationship with Kyle when Nikki arrived. She could tell there was tension. Victor admitted he wasn’t interested in giving Kyle a fair chance. “I stand by every word I said. There will be trouble. I don’t want you to be part of it,” Victor told Claire. “This trouble. You mentioned it earlier. Why would you think my family is going to implode and that you need to protect Claire from it?” Kyle wondered. Nikki agreed with the question and said she was curious about that herself. Kyle assured Victor that his parents were stronger than ever and suggested if Victor was so sure there would be a problem, it had to be because he planned to cause it himself.

Nikki chastised Victor for being obsessed with Jack and Diane’s marriage. “Your argument has little to do with me as a man and everything to do with your feelings about my parents,” Kyle added. “You broke Summer’s heart. You’re not going to do the same to Claire,” Victor growled at him.

Kyle reminded Victor that he and Summer were in a good place, but Victor said it wouldn’t last. Kyle wondered if they’d had the conversation six months prior when he was in his good graces at Glissade if he’d be saying the same things. Victor insisted Kyle was not the right man for Claire. “This is ridiculous now,” Kyle said to Nikki and Claire.

Claire asked Victor what the problem actually was: Kyle would hurt her, or his family’s next implosion would? “All I promise you is that the continued relationship between the two of you would be a massive mistake. It’s up to you to make it right,” Victor warned. Kyle smiled and put his hand on Claire’s. “That’s exactly what I plan to do,” he said. Victor warned him if he hurt his granddaughter in any way, you’ll have to deal with me,” he glared. Nikki asked him to stay, but he refused and left for home.

On his way out, Victor passed Jack and Diane. They exchanged barbs, and Diane suggested Victor was still grumpy that Jack tricked him by buying up all the shares of Glissade. Victor told them to enjoy their fabricated bliss. “It won’t last,” he added. Jack told Kyle, Claire, and Nikki that “Old Grumpy” was in a mood and asked what they missed. “Trust me, you don't want to know,” Nikki sighed.

Jack could guess what Victor had said about Kyle and Claire. Nikki insisted that Victor was just looking out for his granddaughter but Diane said Victor needed to mind his own business. Jack hoped it wasn’t scaring Claire away.

Claire smiled at Kyle as she said she knew exactly where she wanted to be, and not even Victor could scare her away from that. She noted it broke her heart that Victor wouldn’t give them a chance and asked Nikki to talk to him. Kyle told Jack that Victor was certain there would be more trouble for their family. Jack was sure Victor was still working on a revenge plot against them.

Nikki lamented that she was tired of the ongoing war. She vented how Victor took a bullet to save his family but noted that he couldn’t say that what Jack did for her was just as heroic. Diane rolled her eyes. She said there would be no end to Victor’s revenge and Nikki agreed that it was far from over. Jack, Kyle, and Claire looked at one another, concerned.

Across the restaurant, Daniel got fed up with Summer being fixated on Kyle across the restaurant. He said they needed to go somewhere else. Summer insisted she wasn’t jealous, so Daniel told her to prove it — by leaving.

Daniel and Summer went to the Athletic Club for dinner instead. On the way, Daniel tried again to reach Phyllis to no avail. Summer wondered if Phyllis went to Paris to talk to Billy about the new company but Daniel reminded her they had a breakfast planned in the morning. He didn’t think she would leave the country without telling them first. Daniel said that after everything that has happened with Phyllis and Heather, it made him uncomfortable. He noted that before he accepted the job, he couldn’t get her to stop calling and texting, and now he can’t get her to return a single call. He thought it was weird, even for their mom.

Summer convinced Daniel to wait until breakfast to start worrying. Daniel joked that Summer was basically a Phyllis knock off so if she wasn’t going to freak out, neither would he. Summer said Phyllis had a lot of qualities she aspired to, so she would take the compliment as long as he didn’t insist she was a jealous stalker. Daniel advised her not to become one.

Daniel reminded Summer that she had a full life and things were back on track with Chance. He said she was too good for obsessing over Kyle. She snapped and got defensive, claiming that the only one obsessing about Kyle and Claire was Daniel. “Where did that come from?” Daniel asked. He wondered if things weren’t going well with Chance after all.

Summer said she and Chance had only had one dinner since their break up, and she didn’t know what she wanted after the way Chance had treated Daniel, Phyllis, and Lucy. Daniel didn’t take it personally, he thought Chance was doing his job. “You’re okay with what happened?” Summer asked. Daniel corrected that he would never be okay with being blamed for Heather’s death, but he had let it go that Chance was trying to run an investigation.

Daniel advised Summer to be with Chance if that’s what she wanted, or whoever else but noted she seemed to care a lot about Kyle’s love life when she claimed she didn’t. Summer accused Daniel of acting like Phyllis and demanded he take her at her word and stop the interrogation. Daniel told her he hadn’t tried to set her off. He just thought she’d want someone to talk to. Summer smiled and insisted she was fine and to drop it.

After trying two restaurants, Summer decided to forgo dinner and return to work. She suggested that they make Kyle and all Kyle-related topics forbidden, and she left.

Michael and Lauren went to the jazz club, and she told him that she could tell something was bothering him. He admitted that Victor was determined to strip the Abbotts of every last ounce of happiness and wondered when and if it would ever end. They agreed Jack and Diane didn’t deserve what they went through. Michael said Victor’s next plan was as nasty as ever.

Lauren reminded Michael that she warned him that Victor would do this and he would be miserable working for him. Lauren said she knew what Victor meant to Michael but was concerned. Lauren asked Michael what really happened the night Victor was shot by Ian and why he was even there.

Michael told Lauren everything, from his meeting with Victor to Ian dying. Lauren was upset upon learning how close to death Michael had come. She was even more upset to learn that Michael could have left but chose to stay in danger. He explained that there was always an underlying respect, even in the worst of his disagreements with Victor.

Michael said he considered Victor his family, and he wasn’t going anywhere when he was in danger. “Even if you could have been killed?” Lauren asked tearfully. “My only regret that night was that I couldn’t save Victor from being shot,” Michael admitted.

Lauren talked about how Michael’s dad hurt him several times, and she was happy that Victor had filled that role in some ways. However, Victor infuriated her plenty, and the thought of losing Michael that night would have devastated her and Fen’s life. Lauren noted that Michael told her he’d tell her what he told Chance, which meant he crossed the line of the legal truth. She insisted that Michael tell her everything.

Michael assured Lauren he did what was needed but slept well at night with his decisions. Lauren told him that as long as he worked for Victor, he’d be dodging bullets for his favorite father figure. Michael wanted to change the topic, so they decided to get a hotel room. As they came in kissing and started to undress, Michael’s phone rang. They saw it was Victor and paused. Michael put the phone down, and he and Lauren happily fell onto the bed together.

Alone back at the ranch, Victor poured himself a drink and pulled out his phone. He called Michael, but he didn’t answer, so he left a message, telling him he wanted as much about Jabot’s future plans as he could get for him asap.

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