Billy realizes he has to be his own champion

The Young and the Restless Recap for Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Phyllis bumped into Jack and Harrison in the park while they were looking at baseball cards. Harrison was happy to see her and gave her a big hug. Phyllis gushed to Harrison about Summer, and said, "Your mom loves you more than anyone else in the world." Jack sent Harrison to find caterpillars, then Jack chastised Phyllis for trying to manipulate a child. He said she should be ashamed of herself.

Phyllis said that what Harrison had gone through already had been too much, yet he'd bounced back. Phyllis asked how much trauma Harrison would need to go through before he stopped bouncing back. At first, Jack and Phyllis agreed about Harrison's trauma, but Jack shut down the conversation when Phyllis said that Kyle was acting "off the rails." Before leaving, Jack snapped that Phyllis had too much free time on her hands and was spending it butting in where she was not wanted.

Claire walked into Victora's office at Newman Enterprises and noted how "happy and in her element" her mom looked. Claire told Victoria that she had some free time and had stopped by to see if Victoria could take a break to get something to eat together. Nikki arrived and asked if she could join them at Society for lunch, as she had something she wanted to discuss with Claire.

At Society, Nikki explained that she couldn't give details just yet, but she was getting ready for a big move to a new job and would love it if Claire would come to work with her as her assistant again -- this time for the right reasons.

Nikki noted how thrilled Victor would be if Claire were to join the family business. Claire was shocked by Nikki's offer and said that she'd never thought there would be a place for her there. Nikki told Claire, "Being my assistant would be just the first step. I could see you moving quickly to higher positions. The sky would be the limit." Victoria was also surprised but agreed that the Newman family bonded through work, and they liked to surround themselves with people they loved and respected. Victoria encouraged Claire to consider if it were a career she would want to pursue.

Claire told Nikki that she would love to get away from Kyle and Summer's constant bickering, but it would be hard to leave Harrison. Victoria teased that Claire had a crush on Kyle. Victoria implied that it was why it would be hard to walk away, but Claire asserted that she and Kyle were just friends. Claire admitted that Victoria had been helping her figure out if she felt something more for Kyle. Victoria said if Claire left her position as Harrison's caregiver, it might help her untangle her feelings for Kyle.

Claire told Nikki that she was touched and honored that Nikki wanted to work with her again. "This family's love, generosity, and forgiveness...it overwhelms me," Claire said. She added that it was a miracle that they had embraced her the way they had, but she couldn't leave Harrison at that moment. "As difficult as it has been for me, it would be so much worse for him," Claire explained. Nikki was disappointed but proud of Claire's choice, as it showed her character.

After Claire left, Nikki asked Victoria more about Claire's crush on Kyle. Victoria reminded Nikki that she had never listened to Nikki or Victor when they'd tried to warn her away from someone. "Do you think he's the one for Claire?" Nikki asked. Victoria said, "She's been deprived of love her whole life. If she can open her heart to someone, who am I to tell her who that should be?"

Billy stared at the new Abbott-Chancellor logo on the office wall as Lily came in. She said she hoped there was no backlash caused by the name change. Billy told her that it would be easy to explain to people, and he added, "But then, I'm not the one with one foot out, looking for an excuse to bail." Billy asked Lily if she would be more comfortable adding "Lily" to the company name.

Billy told Lily about speaking with Jill, and she wasn't on board with him stepping aside from the company. Lily admitted that she hadn't thought of a reason to tell people she would be in charge, either. Billy told Lily that he had second thoughts and that they shouldn't run scared from Victor. Lily got upset and pointed out that he had said the exact opposite hours earlier.

Billy said the agreement didn't work for him anymore. He said that he'd drafted a statement to announce the name change and the new logo -- and that he and Lily would be running the company together. Lily snapped that basically everything he'd said about the new humble Billy Abbot had been a lie and just a ploy to buy time. Billy said, "No. There was a moment that you convinced me that I was a problem here. That moment is gone."

Lily told Billy she should have known better than to trust that he would keep his word. Billy said that their company was slightly more vulnerable than others, but she was the one who wanted to bail, while he wanted to give them a chance to succeed. Lily said she wouldn't sign off on the press release, so Billy reminded her that he was in charge. "My partner did such an amazing job of painting me as a constant screw-up that I started to believe it. You knew I had baggage and you knew what you were getting into," Billy said.

Billy told Lily, "I brought you in, but the only way you're staying now is if I'm out the door?" Billy told Lily that she'd gotten him thinking. He said he found it odd that she was not more afraid of Victor. "What's your real agenda?" Billy asked.

Lily told Billy to stop looking for conspiracy theories. She said she was trying to protect the company she'd helped build. She told him that he was unpredictable, and that was why she wanted him to step aside. Billy wondered if her plan was to stay and pretend to be partners, then kick him out and take the company. Lily called Billy delusional. "Prove me wrong," Billy said as he handed Lily his phone to read the press release. "Let's tell the world that Abbott-Chancellor is open for business," Billy said.

Lily balked at the press release and said Billy was springing it on her at the last minute. Billy asked what Lily wanted him to fix in the release, but Lily got defensive. She told Billy that he was a one-man band, and if people didn't do what he wanted, then he would wear them down until they did. She wondered if he was using her as his security blanket until he didn't need her anymore.

Lily reminded Billy that she didn't need to work there; she could work with Devon. Billy said, "You could, but you won't. It's not what you want to do. You want it to be as successful as I do, but you don't want to share." Before walking out, Lily said she didn't want to risk the company's future on Billy's gut instincts or because he had something to prove to everyone, including himself.

Phyllis spotted Lily at the Athletic Club bar. Phyllis joined Lily and offered to buy her a drink. Phyllis said, "I really want to have a talk with you, just woman to woman. We have a lot to chat about."

Phyllis thanked Lily for working things out with Daniel and for letting his game survive. Lily looked irritated when Phyllis brought up Daniel and Heather and how it had been inevitable that they would get back together. "Women like us, we go on and persevere," Phyllis said. "What do you want?" Lily snapped. Phyllis wondered if Lily already regretted her decision to work with Billy.

Lily tried to blow Phyllis off, but Phyllis persisted. "Do yourself a favor," Phyllis said, reminding Lily that they had known Billy a very long time. Phyllis warned Lily not to be blinded by Billy's charms, and Phyllis pointed out that Billy always looked out for only himself. Phyllis asked why Lily would partner with Billy when she could be working with her family.

Harrison and Jack were back home, playing Go Fish, when Claire walked in. When Jack and Claire were alone together, Jack asked her if something was wrong. "I'm afraid there is, and I don't know what to do about it," Claire said.

Claire told Jack that she could tell Harrison was trying to act happy to distract Kyle and Summer from yelling at each other. Jack and Claire talked about their concerns for Harrison. Jack shared that Kyle also had childhood trauma, but Jack couldn't get Kyle to see the parallels. Jack asked Claire to try to talk to Kyle, as he wouldn't listen to his parents.

Harrison confided to Claire that he knew that his parents were mad, and it was probably because of him. Claire told Harrison that sometimes, grown-ups had disagreements, and they could get loud, which was scary. "But your mom and dad love you very much. You're not to blame for anything, do you understand that? It's important that you do, always," Claire explained.

Jack saw Billy at Society and joined him at the bar. Billy said that he was glad to run into Jack, as he wanted to give Jack a heads-up that Billy was adding the Abbott name to Chancellor Industries. Jack said that he had heard about the idea from Devon, but when it hadn't happened yet, he'd thought Billy had come to his senses.

Jack said that Abbott was a family name. Billy declared that it was also his name and his mother's, as well, and therefore, it was technically a family company -- just not Jack's company. Jack told Billy that in his mind, Chancellor was and always would be Katherine's company, so he couldn't approve of the name change. He said Billy should honor Katherine's legacy. "I'm forging a new legacy, so maybe you should start respecting that," Billy snapped.