The episode of The Young and the Restless airing Thursday, May 29, 2025, delivers an explosive chapter in the escalating power war unfolding across Genoa City. At the heart of the turmoil is Billy Abbott, a man known more for his recklessness than his reliability, now cast into a leadership role at Chancellor Industries. While Billy tries to keep his footing in a world of shifting allegiances, new enemies, and age-old rivalries, a darker and far more sophisticated force makes its entrance—Aristotle Dumas.

Unlike the usual corporate rivals, Dumas is enigmatic, ice-cold, and dangerously precise. His arrival marks a seismic shift in the power dynamics. With the instincts of a shadowy financial predator, Dumas doesn’t just challenge Billy—he threatens to dismantle him. His presence throws the elite of Genoa City into disarray, forcing long-standing adversaries and unlikely allies to reevaluate their strategies.

Victor Newman, ever the master manipulator, is quick to recognize the threat Dumas poses. He understands that Dumas isn’t just after power—he’s orchestrating a total takeover, with Chancellor as his latest target. Victor’s solution? Drag his son Adam into the fray. The Newman patriarch begins crafting a plan to leverage Dumas’s ambition as a weapon, both to destabilize Billy and to cement his family’s dominance.

Adam, however, is no longer the impulsive and vengeful figure he once was. Now observant and analytical, he carefully studies both Billy and Dumas from the sidelines, aware that proving his worth to Victor requires more than blind loyalty. Instead, Adam takes a bold step forward. He becomes the architect of a brutal smear campaign designed to destroy Billy’s credibility and isolate him from the investors and employees he desperately needs.

With the might of Newman Media behind him, Adam uses the press as his battleground. He weaponizes every misstep Billy has made, feeding the public a narrative that paints Billy as unstable and unfit. He utilizes undercover interviews, anonymous leaks, and psychological tactics to turn perception against Billy. The goal is clear: crush his opponent before a financial war breaks out in full.

Meanwhile, Billy is being attacked on all sides. Dumas moves like a ghost, slipping into boardrooms and shareholder meetings, sowing dissent, offering irresistible buyouts, and manipulating alliances. Billy, surrounded by betrayals and pressures, becomes a man on the verge. His every decision could mean salvation or complete collapse. The weight of leadership, legacy, and love all press down on him.

One of Billy’s few constants is Chelsea Lawson, who watches helplessly as the man she loves crumbles under pressure. Chelsea senses the unseen forces working against him, and while she wants to support him, fear consumes her. She even begs Billy to flee Genoa City with her, to leave the ruthless corporate battlefield behind. But Billy refuses to run. He’s determined to fight, to prove he’s not the weak link everyone thinks he is.

In the background, Victor and Adam continue tightening their grip. Victor uses Adam as a spy, assigning him to track Dumas’s every move, even manipulating Chancellor’s key stakeholders through backroom deals and pressure tactics. The Newman duo is relentless, treating Billy like a threat that must be neutralized by any means.

As this war escalates, another subplot brews in secret. Lily Winters becomes increasingly entangled in the mystery surrounding Dumas. Alarmed by his influence and worried about the security of Winters Enterprises, she suspects that her associate Amanda Sinclair may be hiding something. Amanda’s cryptic behavior and potential ties to Dumas spark suspicion. Lily begins to covertly interrogate Damian, a man with feelings for her and a loose connection to Dumas. Through subtle questioning and careful manipulation, she starts piecing together a far more sinister picture.

Dumas, it seems, is no ordinary investor. Every move is a calculation, every appearance part of a larger scheme. Lily senses that Dumas could be orchestrating a silent coup, not just over businesses, but over the people themselves. Her growing unease turns into a silent crusade to expose him before it’s too late.

Elsewhere, Lauren Fenmore battles personal fears. Her husband Michael Baldwin has just stepped away from his longtime role as Victor’s legal advisor. While she had hoped this would return peace to their family, Lauren is plagued by doubts. Rumors swirl that Michael may have aligned himself with Dumas, possibly even working as a double agent. Though she doesn’t want to believe it, she knows the world of Genoa City too well—where secrets destroy, and loyalty is just another tool in a power game.

Lauren’s dread grows as Michael’s behavior becomes more guarded and ambiguous. She fears that if Victor senses betrayal, he’ll retaliate mercilessly—and Michael might not survive. Her inner conflict mirrors the broader chaos tearing through Genoa City: who can be trusted when power is the only currency that matters?

As the episode closes, the questions mount. Can Billy survive this multi-pronged assault? Will Victor and Adam succeed in wiping him out, or will their own ambition consume them? What exactly is Dumas’s endgame, and how many more secrets is he hiding? And finally, how far will the women of Genoa City—Chelsea, Lily, and Lauren—go to protect the men they love from a war that is spiraling beyond anyone’s control?

This is more than a business battle—it’s an emotional, psychological, and existential showdown. The chessboard is set, and every player is at risk of losing more than just their pride. In The Young and the Restless, power always comes with a price.