Victor and Nick Threaten a Cocky Ian — and Jordan Hides Sharon

Today on The Young and the Restless, Mariah worries that Ian might have taken Sharon, Cole has doubts, and Jordan wants an insurance policy.

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Mariah and Tessa are relieved when they arrive at Sharon’s house and find Faith there. Guards surround the house. Faith is in a panic about their mom never showing up at Society. Mariah assures her they are all concerned but can’t leap to any conclusions and must stay calm. “Something is wrong!” Faith insists.

She rushes around the room spinning the worst-case scenarios and lashing out about how they have failed to protect Sharon. Tessa calms them down and points out that blaming each other won’t help find Sharon. Mariah admits that seeing the man who “groomed” her only makes this worse. He must be involved somehow.

“He’s capable of anything!” she blurts, which nearly makes Faith cry. Tessa says he doesn’t sound like the type of person who would pop up to save her life. “What a crazy coincidence!” Mariah says, demanding to know every detail of what happened.

They sit together and Tessa admits it’s all kind of a blur. Ian showed up and tried making a reservation for two. She was lightheaded. Eating didn’t help so she went out for air and that’s when she started gasping. The next thing she knew, Ian was there with an inhaler and he helped her breathe again.

“Lucky for Tessa,” comments Faith. This all sounds a little too convenient to Mariah. Tessa wonders if the gasping was just a panic attack but her wife is sure that this was not just a random act.

Maybe Ian saved her life to show her that he’s a changed man? “He does sound kind of religious,” says Faith. Mariah is sure there is an agenda at play but she couldn’t even begin to guess what it is. The only thing they know is that Ian is there and Sharon is gone. If those things are connected, her mom is genuinely in trouble.

Jordan returns to her room at the Red Door Motel and assures Ian that Sharon is safely hidden in the car. He won’t be satisfied until she’s disposed of. Ward reminds her it needs to look like she was driven off the road into a watery grave. The key is that it looks like poetic justice for what she did to Heather.

That’s how they can pin this on Phyllis. After he has a drink, Jordan announces she won’t do any more jobs for him until he starts reciprocating. He reminds her that he got her out of prison; her lack of gratitude about that is annoying him. Jordan wonders how many more bodies they have to pile up before she gets her part of their quid pro quo. Sitting down, Ian urges her to have some faith, they are almost there.

He could feel that when he saw Mariah’s face. That’s the same way she felt when she saw Claire again. He’s hopeful they will win back Mariah and Claire’s affection. But if they can’t, they will have to punish them for the pain they caused them. Leaning in, she reminds them they had an arrangement. “Criss-cross, Ian, criss-cross,” she says.

Cole is deep in thought as he sits at the bar in the Neil Winters Jazz Lounge. Victoria strolls in and wonders why he escaped their suite filled with champagne and caviar. He’s really glad that she’s feeling great and explains he couldn’t sleep so he came down for a nightcap. She joins him and he’s glad she’s awake because he could use her advice. Her father’s offer for him to head up Newman Publishing is what has him up.

He’s flattered by the offer since it’s a dream job for him; being able to work in literature and edit is exactly what he wants. Yet, he’s hesitant. She asks why he is so uncertain. Cole admits he’s leaning towards turning it down. Victoria doesn’t understand.

He explains the whole “corporate thing” seems toxic to him. She admits that it can be, but it can also be rewarding. He wonders how he will find time to write and she points out he always finds time. Cole muses that it’s part of who he is. The topic circles back to how hard it would be to work for her father; being under his thumb isn’t something that Cole is sure he can deal with.

Victoria knows the pressures and pitfalls of working with Victor. She tells Cole they would be working in the same building and that means they could see more of each other. She also reminds him that this doesn’t have to be forever. If he doesn’t like the job, he can walk away. He’s not Victor’s daughter and isn’t expected to be an extension of him. Victoria assures Cole that nothing will change her feelings for him.

He worries that Victor could turn on them and poison what they have. A year ago, living in this city with her and their daughter was the last thing he expected. This has been a miracle to him that has changed his life in so many good ways. Working for Victor might spoil that. Her father has a long track record of interfering in people’s lives, especially hers.

Victoria assures him she’s used to that and can push back when it’s worth fighting for. Finding Cole again has been a miracle for her too. She’d fight like hell for that so she asks him not to use that as an excuse. Cole thanks her for all the reassurance but he’s still not sure about the job. After she tells him they are a team, they start kissing until they decide it’s time to take it upstairs.

At the Newman ranch, Victor and Nick instruct his security guard, Mortenson, to track down Ian, He doesn’t care how many men it takes. Once they find him, they bring him to the ranch. After Mortenson exits, Nick wants to go out and search but his father assures him that’s not the thing to do. Until they know what Ian’s motives are, they won’t know what to do. Nick explains that Ian seemed cocky but was hiding it under repentance.

This all sounds like an old con to Victor. It’s a mix of ego, power lust, and madness. That’s a dangerous brew. Pacing, Nick speculates that Ian must have messed with Sharon’s medications. If he could have five minutes alone with that guy, he could get all the answers they need. His father waves that idea away and wonders why Ian decided to come out of the shadows now. They are both sure none of this is random.

Jordan takes Sharon down to the sewers and chains her to some pipes. “You should be grateful you’re not at the bottom of the river. At least, not yet,” she says. As she unpacks some supplies, she tells unconscious Sharon that she’s lucky she’s not getting Brussels sprouts and vodka.

“Sleep tight princess,” Jordan says. She muses that Sharon’s going to be her insurance policy until she gets the assurances she needs from her partner. Once she departs, Sharon slowly wakes up and calls for help.

Back in Ian’s motel room, he looks at his phone until there is a knock at the door. He looks through the peephole and sees Victor’s man, Mortenson, standing there and calling for him.

Mortenson brings Ian to the ranch to face the Newmans. Victor says they have been expecting him. Ward says his prayers have been answered. Victor smirks. Once he’s asked to sit, Ian insists that he has been reformed and is doing penance for his crimes. Nick asks what’s up with the alias. Ward explains that his name carries a lot of baggage and that got in the way of him doing God’s work.

He’s determined to make amends, especially to Mariah. This brings out Victor’s sarcasm but Ian repeats he’s determined to atone for his sins. Nick towers over him and demands to know where Sharon is. He fumes as Ian pretends to have no idea who Sharon is or what happened to her. He adds that he was at Society tonight when the Lord called upon him to save Tessa’s life. The Mustache tells him that he needs to leave Genoa City immediately. If he doesn’t, he will hunt him down.

Getting in Ian’s skeptical face, he challenges him to try him. Standing up, Ward points out that the police know he is back in town and that Nick publicly threatened him. They also possess a letter that places blame on the Newmans if anything happens to him. As he repeats that he only wants to prove his intentions are honorable, Nikki comes down the steps. She gasps at the sight of Ian and demands to know what he’s doing there. When he remarks that she’s as beautiful as ever, she pulls her robe closed. Victor takes Ian to the door, telling him his letter to the police doesn’t worry him. He’s sure he’s just a fraudster and orders him out. Exiting, Ian says he’ll pray for him. Victor orders Mortenson to follow Ward. Returning to his wife and son, Nikki wonders to her husband why Ward is back. Nick gets her water and Victor assures her that the moment Ian makes a mistake, he will bury him.

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Jordan returns to the motel and worries when Ian isn’t there. Moments later, he arrives. She admits she wondered if he’d skipped town. He says their work has just begun and explains that he was personally invited to see Victor at the ranch. Laughing, he says it went as he thought it would. When he asks her if she’s done what he asked and put Sharon at the bottom of the river, she says, “Sharon is exactly where she’s supposed to be.”