The Young and the Restless' four most ruthless characters

The Young and the Restless is known for its strong, assertive characters who are business warriors, forever ambitious and determined to protect their companies and self-interests at all costs. Even if they don't run their own company, they are resilient fighters who remain determined to prove their worth to everyone else in Genoa City.

Here are the four most ruthless characters on Y&R:

Audra Charles on The Young and the Restless

Audra (Zuleyka Silver) is one of the feistiest females on The Young and the Restless and also one of the most conniving. She picked up her scheming tactics from her involvement with Tucker McCall (Trevor St. John). Audra has burned many bridges in Genoa City, but she's not leaving any time soon.

She wrecked her relationship with Nate (Sean Dominic) and shamelessly drove a wedge between Kyle (Michael Mealor) and Claire (Hayley Erin), all in the name of securing Victor's (Eric Braeden) funding for her start-up company, Vibrante. But when other GC residents ask her why she hasn't left town, she proudly stands her ground and simply says she isn't budging.

As Audra told Kyle, she is determined to rise like a phoenix, and we don't doubt her for a minute. We know it won't be long before we see the power-hungry beauty back in action, competing with all the business titans in GC.

Adam Newman

Some Y&R fans call Adam (Mark Grossman) "Victor 2.0." Adam can be just as cutthroat as The Mustache. He takes pleasure in bringing business rivals to their knees, as we saw with the recent article he published about Colin (Tristan Rogers) swindling money from Madame de Leon. When Cane (Billy Flynn) pointed out that Adam seemed to be enjoying himself at his expense, Adam grinned and replied, "You have no idea." That's our Adam -- just like his old man.

Adam has softened over the past year or two in his family relationships, but he maintains an edge in business dealings. When Victor first learned that Cane possessed the dangerous and illegal AI program, Adam was the only one of Victor's kids who wanted to snatch the program from Cane. He is razor-sharp and always thinks on his feet, as we saw during the Nice storyline, when he took a trip to France that was spontaneous and taxing to warn the other Newmans that Aristotle Dumas was buying property in GC. Adam always keeps us on our feet, as we forever wonder what he's going to do next.

Phyllis Summers

Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) has an in-your-face personality that Y&R fans either love or hate. Even though the Martin Laurent (Christopher Cousins) kidnapping storyline left her emotionally shaken, nothing will ever prevent her from attacking life head-on. Unfortunately, she can't figure out how to get out of her own way most of the time, and she always gets in everyone else's.

Phyllis has been known to be nasty, manipulative, attention-seeking, and vindictive. Her burning desire to be taken seriously is what drives her, and her fits of rage and jealousy are what make her one of the biggest trouble-makers on The Young and the Restless. Who could ever forget the time she ran down Christine (Lauralee Bell) and Paul (Doug Davidson) on their wedding day?

Phyllis has been destructive to others and to herself. Some of her foolish actions have damaged her relationships with her kids (temporarily, at least), like the time she faked her own death. But we need to give her credit for being a mama bear when it comes to her children, Daniel (Michael Graziadei) and Summer (Allison Lanier). She will fight to the death for their happiness, success, and well-being.

Her brashness in stealing Cane's (Billy Flynn) AI program tells us how desperate she is to succeed in business and prove to all of Genoa City that she is a force to be reckoned with. Imagine Victor's shock when he eventually finds out what she did. His days of underestimating her will be over.

Victor Newman

Many fans of The Young and the Restless get tired of seeing The Great Victor Newman smile in amusement every time he's about to conquer a business rival. But what can we say? Y&R just wouldn't be Y&R without Victor and his never-ending schemes. He protects his family at all costs, and he does it his own way, no matter what anyone else thinks (even the police).

We saw how he locked psychopath Jordan (Colleen Zenk) in a private dungeon in his own home. But longtime fans know she wasn't the only person Victor held prisoner. Remember when he kept Michael Scott (Nick Benedict) captive in the basement of the Newman ranch and fed him rats? Now, that's classic Victor.

He is a protective father and grandfather, but he can also be downright twisted and vicious. He often takes for granted the people in his inner circle who try to protect his best interests, including his longtime lawyer, Michael (Christian LeBlanc). All this, plus his obsessive desire for control in business and personal matters, makes Victor one of the most ruthless characters in soap history.

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