From Josh’s couch, Junior thanked Josh for unlocking Lauren’s phone and confirmed he had swapped phones back with Lauren at church. Their banter was interspersed with Josh’s antics with their cats, Maud and Fred, underscoring a casual setting before turning serious.

Junior revealed that Nico Trocci Sr. wanted him to lead a new operation, which intensified Junior’s urgency to get out. He asked Josh for digital help investigating Patrick McKinney, the West Side building owner tied to Velvet’s rent crisis. Josh fetched his laptop and, after an hour, provided a dossier: McKinney, 68, twice-married, diabetic, owner of four neighborhood buildings, and deeply indebted due to gambling. Junior noted he could exploit gambling debts by locating bookies and buying the debts to apply pressure.

Josh pressed for context. Feeling isolated from his brothers and wary of his father’s control, Junior confided in Josh about his history with Lauren: a childhood crush, the fireworks night, Tommy’s threats, Junior’s abandonment, and later efforts to protect and support her (omitting details of Tommy’s disappearance). He admitted ongoing surveillance and interventions, recognizing it could be seen as stalking.

Josh asked if Junior had told Lauren how long he’d been watching over her and whether he would stop. Junior said he would not stop because of the city’s dangers, and Josh framed Junior’s feelings as love. Junior doubted a serious future due to his father’s control and said he might have already ruined things; Lauren needed space after church, suspected he was ashamed of her because he wore a mask at Velvet and met her in secret, and she had not forgiven the stalking.

Josh challenged Junior on whether he could accept Lauren’s work. Junior insisted he did not care about her online sexual labor as long as they were exclusive offline, effectively admitting he wanted to be with her. Still, he feared hurting her again and believed his nature leads to harming people. Seeking a concrete step to prove he was not ashamed, Junior asked how to show it.

Josh proposed inviting Lauren to the small engagement party he and Aly were hosting that weekend, positioned as a casual barbecue with only close friends and no other Troccis. Junior considered the idea as a way to demonstrate public support without exposing Lauren to his family and resolved to find a way to persuade her.