After midnight, Lauren, unwinding with roommates Taylor and Ryan, receives a PPV request from Junior (NT95) offering $10,000 for her to attend his cousin’s barbecue and a message: “I’m not ashamed of you, Lo. Give me a chance to prove it.” Determined to enforce her boundary of space, Lauren has Ryan hit deny. Immediately, there is a knock at the door; Junior is outside in riding gear. With Ryan and Taylor prepared to intervene, Lauren steps outside to talk while they watch from inside with Walter the dog.

On the stoop, Junior is sexually forward, but Lauren keeps distance and asks direct questions. Junior admits he sometimes comes to the neighborhood to check on her and confirms he planted the tracker only after their first church run-in. He promises not to place any more trackers. When Lauren asks about slashed tires at church, he deflects with a smirk but effectively confirms responsibility, framing it as a warning to gossips.

Lauren presses on the scope of his involvement over the years. Junior acknowledges fixing her parking tickets, replacing her smashed car mirror, pressuring their previous unresponsive landlord to complete repairs, and influencing Councilwoman Blackwell after the councilwoman strung Lauren along; he mentions obtaining a compromising video of Blackwell’s son. Lauren is distressed that her advocacy work may have been abetted by coercion, but Junior insists she did the real work and he only “nudged” one or two people.

Lauren asks him to stop interfering in her life. Junior flatly refuses, saying “No,” while praising Lauren’s independent success and the community she builds for her subscribers. He suggests she should not feel bad for politicians who lied about supporting her cause. Lauren recognizes his vulnerability and, despite red flags, sits in his lap when he draws her close, while Taylor briefly checks from the doorway and stands down.

Junior affirms he is not ashamed of Lauren or her sex work, promising never to police her content and saying he wants to see her “fly.” The reassurance melts Lauren’s resistance; she reframes his actions as protection rather than control but remains aware of his capacity for violence. Junior then asks her to attend his cousin’s engagement barbecue, admitting social anxiety and fear of saying the wrong thing, and begs her help not to ruin the event.

Lauren declines payment and agrees to go. The scene closes with mutual understanding: Junior will not pay her for the appearance, and Lauren will accompany him to the family gathering despite her concerns about his boundaries and interference.