Although The Young and the Restless viewers still have more questions than answers about the mysterious Aristotle Dumas, thanks to Victor’s (Eric Braeden) digging and Billy’s (Jason Thompson) confession to Phyllis (Michelle Stafford), it appears Aristotle may have a desire to strip Victor and Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) of Chancellor.
In The Young and the Restless episode airing on April 17, Victor finally shares with his wife that it’s come to his attention that Billy and Aristotle have been in contact, and that could mean they’re after Chancellor. Nikki understandably becomes upset and wants to confront her former son-in-law right away.
However, the Newman patriarch cautions her against it, as they don’t have solid proof that Billy and Aristotle are a threat yet. Victor would rather see more of their hand before taking action. Given how he’s a masterful tactician, we tend to agree with him.
Now we’ve long held the belief that Nikki could use some help running Chancellor. Sure, she has someone she can trust working by her side in Claire (Hayley Erin), but her granddaughter doesn’t exactly have executive-level experience, although she has the educational credentials. As Lily (Christel Khalil) once pointed out, Chancellor is a huge company (one that likely rivals Newman Enterprises in size), so Nikki could use some more support as she carries out her CEO duties.
With corporate espionage running rampant in Genoa City with Victor infiltrating Jabot and Diane (Susan Walters) wanting to send spies into Newman Enterprises, we think Nikki could be in need of some help form people she can trust. Along these lines, we can think of three candidates.
First up, there’s Noah (Rory Gibson). Not only is he Nikki’s grandson, but he has plenty of experience in the corporate world, having worked for Newman Enterprises on several occasions. We can picture him finally returning to Genoa City after Sharon (Sharon Case) and Nick (Joshua Morrow) pay him a visit in London, ready to be closer to his loved ones and be of service to his grandmother, perhaps in a co-CEO or vice president role.
Speaking of Nick, he is also a good candidate to come to Nikki’s rescue as a co-CEO. He loves his mother dearly and would do anything to protect her, especially if it's from Billy. Nick and Billy may have been cordial during the whole Martin (Christopher Cousins) ordeal, but they are hardly besties. If we’re being honest, with Victoria (Amelia Heinle) likely to be the heir to the Newman Enterprises throne, Nick has a shot at putting in the groundwork to be the heir of Chancellor.
Should neither Noah nor Nick fit the bill here, then our last guess is actually Lily. This probably sounds like a long shot for some fans, as Lily had a falling out with the Newmans over their deception about Chancellor less than a year ago. However, Lily has always stated how much she loved leading the company.
It’s not hard to imagine Nikki realizing she could use a hand. Given the chance to return to Chancellor as her co-CEO, Lily could jump at the opportunity, not wanting to see it fall into the hands of Aristotle. It would essentially be the same deal she was going to have with Billy had he maintained control of the business. Nikki and Lily would likely have some trust issues, but nothing an iron-clad contract can’t solve.
If we’re right and Nikki does recruit some help, then we have to wonder how Claire would feel? Would the young Newman feel slighted or overlooked? Or would she welcome with open arms her potential new boss? It’s hard to say, but with Victor trying to destroy her relationship with Kyle (Michael Mealor), we’d hate for her to be riled up by both her grandparents.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
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