It appears as though Young & Restless’ Cane has decided to give up on Lily and pursue Phyllis… but it’s hard to believe that could possibly be true. Alas, all is not what it seems: There’s another reason entirely for his seduction of the sultry redhead — keep reading to find out what we know.

Since his dramatic return, train-dweller Cane Ashby has had tunnel-vision (no pun intended) when it comes to getting back with his reluctant, and sometimes downright hostile, ex-wife, Lily. In fact, the writing suggests that he built an entire empire and plotted to plunder the businesses of Genoa City’s elite, all in a singular effort to impress the love of his life.

Despite repeated attempts to win her over, Cane’s had no luck… and it seems his patience has finally run out, as he’s come to the realization that he’s damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t where Lily’s concerned. Nothing he does will be good enough. As is wont to happen on soaps, just as we, the audience, saw a shift in Lily’s feelings, was the exact moment that Cane turned to another woman.

That woman, of course, is none other than fiesty Phyllis, who just stole his AI program right out from under him. These two have been doing a dance since she first proposed teaming up, and with the ultimate betrayal now a point of contention between them, the tension has skyrocketed… in more ways than one.

Phyllis, for her part, appears to be keeping Cane close in an effort to cover her tracks, but Ashby has suspected that she undermined him from the beginning. So, why is he trying to seduce her?!

It’s simple: Phyllis was the only one smart enough to dupe his supposedly top-notch tech team and hack his servers to steal the coveted and destructive AI program. Therefore, it stands to reason that she’s the only one with the skills to stop Victor’s attack on Arabesque, get the AI software back, or at least to find the killswitch. Ashby needs her.

Ashby’s plan is clearly to ply Red with alcohol, compliments, and sex in an effort to get her back on board the Cane train long enough to mitigate some of the damage she and Victor have done. But it’s a game of cat and mouse, given that Phyllis is, in fact, clever enough to see through his scheme and has her own agenda. Who will prevail? That’s anyone’s guess… but it sure will be fun to watch it unfold.

Take a look back on some of soaps’ most toxic couples of all time in the photo gallery below.