The Young and the Restless Mystery: What is Riza's connection to Matt Clark?

It's been fun watching The Young and the Restless' Adam dive back into his dark past to help Nick bring down his longtime enemy, Matt Clark. It's also been entertaining to watch Adam reconnect with Riza in Las Vegas and to listen to them talk about their card-sharking days together. But what is Riza's connection to Matt?

Adam and Riza's meeting on The Young and the Restless

Riza was suspicious of Adam's motives on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

The Young and the Restless' Riza Thomson (Tina Casciani) is an intriguing woman from Adam's (Mark Grossman) underground poker days in Las Vegas. She has a beautiful, alluring presence that is reminiscent of a James Bond girl. When she entered Adam's hotel suite, she pulled a gun on him. When she left, she gave him a passionate kiss that would have driven Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) mad with jealousy. Holy smokes! This woman could be the next Audra Charles (Zuleyka Silver), minus the gun-toting part.

Riza isn't entirely sure she can trust Adam, given that he called her out of the blue after they hadn't seen each other in years. She even stood behind him and watched him fix her a drink, fearful that he might slip a drug into it. She is suspicious of his motives for wanting to meet with her after all this time. Adam's only reason for flying to Vegas with Nick (Joshua Morrow) was that Riza had some connection to Nick's mortal enemy, Matt Clark (Roger Howarth). So, what is their mysterious connection, and when will we find out about it?

We also don't know yet where Matt has been hiding. His creepy and cryptic text messages to Noah (Lucas Adams) and Nick haven't provided any real clue where he is. Perhaps the next time Riza shows up at Adam's suite, she will bring Matt with her?

Could Riza possibly be Matt's daughter?

Roger Howarth as Matt Clark on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

It would be a surprise if it turns out that Riza is Matt's daughter. Most of us are likely expecting her to be either a woman he had a relationship with or a partner in his drug trafficking operation. Or, perhaps Matt is connected to the underground poker ring that Riza runs?

So, it would be fun if The Young and the Restless writers did something unexpected, and we discover that Riza is his daughter. Perhaps he had a fling with someone when he was very young, before he met and married Sienna (Tamara Braun)? Or maybe Riza could be the result of a one-night stand, or perhaps her mother is someone Matt knew from high school? In soaps, anything is possible.

If Riza is Matt's daughter, are either of them aware of it? No sane woman would want a violent and sexually abusive man like Matt Clark for a father, but is Riza aware of his dark past?

Do Nick and Sharon know Riza's mother?

Sharon Case and Joshua Morrow on The Young and the Restless | Image: CBS

If Riza does turn out to be Matt's daughter, and if her mother is someone Matt knew from high school, then possibly Nick and Sharon (Sharon Case) know her. So, does this mean that we will meet yet another new female on The Young and the Restless very soon?

If so, then maybe she could be a new love interest for Nick, since he's been going through an unusually long dry spell in his love life. It looked like he and Sharon were going to reunite after their trip to Nice, France (during the Aristotle Dumas reveal last summer). The Shick fans anticipated a long-awaited reunion, but they never got one. So, perhaps the Y&R writers are going to pair Nick up with someone new?

The most important question, though, is what is the connection between Riza and Matt? If it's a professional relationship that involves drug trafficking or Riza's underground poker ring, then there is even more trouble brewing for Nick and Adam (especially now that Nick has become addicted to pills). If it's a personal connection, and if Riza is Matt's daughter, then it will be interesting to see how much she knows about his violent background. Will Nick and Adam fill her in on all the dirty details about Matt's past? Stay tuned to find out, Y&R fans!

Catch all-new episodes of The Young and the Restless weekdays on CBS and Paramount Plus.