Two weeks after reconciling, Lauren and Nic drove to the Trocci mansion for a family dinner where Nic intended to reveal his plan to break from his father’s control. They had spent the intervening time rebuilding trust and quietly setting up Nic’s new apartment near Velvet, keeping his acquisition of the building secret to avoid giving Nico Senior time to retaliate.

At the driveway, Aly and Josh met them to enter together, offering moral support. Moira joined and openly sided with Nic, promising her loyalty regardless of what happened. Nic admitted he had told Moira about Nico Senior’s past threats against Lauren, which triggered visible anger in Josh that Aly had to calm.

Inside, Moira informed Nico Senior that Lauren was present. Nico greeted them with charm but immediately probed Lauren about her missing father Tommy, attempting to gauge what she knew. Lauren deflected with a dismissive cover story about a possible secret family, while Nic minimized the situation by saying the police would handle it, and Nico moved on to Aly with cordial small talk.

In the sitting room, Nic’s brothers Alec, Greg, and Stefan teased Nic over the seriousness of his relationship with Lauren. Conversation turned briefly clinical when Aly described a recent finger reattachment case, which made Nic tense until it was clear it was unrelated to McKinney. Nico Senior then tried to needle Nic by implying he was slacking at work, but Moira forbade business talk until after dinner.

Nico Senior’s alternating charm toward Moira and manipulation toward others unsettled Lauren, reinforcing the stakes of Nic’s planned confrontation. A house staff member announced dinner in Italian, and the group moved to the dining room, with Lauren and Aly steeling themselves for the “real show” to begin.