Loyal viewers of The Young and the Restless knew it would only be a matter of time before Victor (Eric Braeden) paid Cole (J. Eddie Peck) back for his betrayal.
Although the Newman patriarch ultimately agreed with Michael (Christian LeBlanc) and Cole about handing Jordan (Colleen Zenk) over to law enforcement so she can spend the rest of her days in a maximum security prison as opposed to his cellar, he was adamant that he would not forget that the two men betrayed his trust.
When it comes to Michael, during the week of May 27, Victor took quick action in firing him. Right in the middle of the Athletic Club, The Mustache let go of his longtime lawyer and friend, citing Michael’s decision to go behind his back as grounds for termination. Michael tried to reassure Victor that he was just doing the right thing and looking out for Victor and his family, but the Newman CEO stood firm in his decision.
Now in The Young and the Restless episode airing on June 4, Victor sets sights on Cole. He summons Cole to the Newman Ranch and upon the writer’s arrival, Victor once again blasts him for breaking his trust. Victor notes that he welcomed Cole into the family fold and as repayment, Cole followed him around in his own house, spying. Cole rebuts that his actions regarding Jordan were to protect the family and also keep Victor from going to prison for kidnapping. Once again, Victor isn’t having any of it.
Cole then notes that he’s not Michael or one of Victor’s employees, and Victor can’t fire him. Victor responds with some tough words of his own, angrily stating, "I can tell you to stay away from my family, and stay the hell away from my daughter." If Cole isn’t scared, perhaps he should be.
Fans know Victor has gone to great lengths in the past to get what he wants. He also has a history of sabotaging Victoria’s relationships if he doesn’t deem her choice of companion to be a good fit. We can recall one instance in particular where Victor had his own daughter arrested to keep her away from Billy (Jason Thompson). Even more recently, Victoria’s relationship with Nate (Sean Dominic) was destroyed in large part due to her father.
Considering Cole and Victoria have been rekindling things and now share a daughter, he’s not likely to heed Victor’s advice to stay away. Because of that, we think Victor is about to reach into his bag of tricks and ensure that Cole and Victoria part ways.
We can imagine Victor doing some digging into Cole’s past. Since he’s arrived back in Genoa City, not much is known about Cole’s time away, so it’s possible he has some skeletons in his closet that Victor may dig up. Could Cole have done some shady things that Victor finds out about and uses as blackmail to get Cole to leave town? Or could Victor find incriminating information and share it directly with Victoria, hoping she pushes Cole away on her own?
There’s always the possibility that Victor resorts to framing Cole for some horrendous act that not only alienates Victoria but lands Cole in prison. While that would be incredibly cruel, it’s definitely not beyond Victor’s capabilities.
However, if Victor does strike, Cole does have a secret weapon to use in retaliation. He is fully aware that Victor kidnapped his aunt and was holding her hostage. Cole could share that info with law enforcement to make sure Victor goes to prison, thereby clearing the way for him to be with Victoria. As intriguing as a thought that may be, we’ll have to wait and see what happens next.
New episodes of The Young and the Restless air weekdays on CBS. Episodes become available to stream on Paramount Plus the next day.
