Junior drives Lauren to Aly and Josh's engagement party, flirting along the way. He warns her that none of Aly's friends know about the family's mob ties, and Lauren promises to keep quiet. They arrive at the backyard gathering, where Lauren presents Aly with a bottle of wine and the two women hit it off immediately, bonding over Aly's cats Maud and Fred in the screened catio.

Junior briefly meets Tyler, Josh's douchey old roommate, who makes crude remarks about Lauren. When Lauren spots Josh's tattoos, she recognizes him as the mystery man Aly had mentioned in past conversations and gasps "Oxen free?"; Aly hastily drags her away to talk in private. Junior is suspicious but doesn't press it.

As the party wears on, Lauren charms everyone, plays cornhole, and bonds with Aly. Junior retreats with Josh to discuss the investigation into who owns McKinney's debts. Junior reveals it's a paranoid, cutthroat new bookie crossing into others' turf, and his brother Stefan is searching for him. Josh offers financial help, which Junior declines, mentioning his own substantial investment portfolio. Tyler causes a scene at cornhole, flipping a board and storming off.

Watching Aly and Josh's obvious love for one another, Junior privately vows to wage war on his father if he ever tries to tear them apart. Observing Lauren enjoying herself fills Junior with both warmth and rage at his father's controlling grip on his life. He realizes he needs leverage to break free permanently.

Junior pulls Josh inside and asks how he escaped his father's control. Josh explains he threatened to destroy the entire family. This sparks Junior's epiphany: his father's deepest fear is being abandoned by family, the one thing he values most. Junior outlines a plan to Josh, who calls it a shit show but enthusiastically agrees to help.