The Young and the Restless (Y&R) spoilers for the week of December 30-January 3 reveal that Adam Newman (Mark Grossman) may go into protective mode after Chelsea Lawson (Melissa Claire Egan) delivers some troubling updates.

It’s possible this will have something to do with Connor Newman’s (Judah Mackey) mental health if something triggers an OCD-related setback.

However, we also can’t ignore the possibility that Chelsea will find out Ian Ward (Ray Wise) is back in Genoa City.

If Adam finds out about Ian’s return, he may vow to keep Chelsea and Connor safe from his old partner in crime! This could give Adam an opportunity to play the hero.

Since Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) offered to let Adam live in the old ranch house, Adam might pressure Chelsea and Connor to live there for their own protection.

As for Ian, his plot to pull Tessa Porter (Cait Fairbanks) closer may not work out much longer.

Tessa currently believes Ian is a harmless prison chaplain named Warren Masters, but the truth about his identity is going to shock her sooner or later.

Since Ian is the cult leader who threw Mariah Copeland’s (Camryn Grimes) life into turmoil, Tessa will eventually fume over getting duped.

Mariah and Tessa may come together to protect Aria Porter-Copeland (Maddie and Millie Ingle) from any danger that might be brewing.

Of course, the moment Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) discovers Ian’s comeback, he may suspect that Ian had a hand in Sharon Newman’s (Sharon Case) drugging and Heather Stevens’ (Vail Bloom) demise.

Jordan (Colleen Zenk) has been doing Ian’s dirty work, so it’ll be interesting to see how her part in all this comes to light down the road.

In the meantime, Billy Abbott’s (Jason Thompson) plot to make Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) pay and get Chancellor back will come with some twists and turns.

Will Billy drag Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford) into trouble just like Daniel Romalotti Jr. (Michael Graziadei) feared?

Over with Nate Hastings (Sean Dominic) and Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver), they’ll have to figure out the next steps in the search for Damian.

After things take a wrong turn in Los Angeles, Audra and Nate will need to have a strategy session.

Nathan Owens is expected to be playing Damian, but his first Y&R appearance isn’t until January 8.

That could mean Damian will give Nate and Audra the slip for a bit, but Nate will inevitably meet his half-brother in the not-too-distant future.

The Young and the Restless spoilers say the week of December 30-January 3 will bring some curveballs, so stick with us for all the stunning news and more predictions on any erupting chaos.

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