After their voyeur room encounter, Junior and Lauren find a quiet alcove downstairs to drink and decompress. Junior pulls Lauren into his lap, fixing her hair and basking in their closeness. Taylor interrupts to remind Lauren of an upcoming meeting with Sylvia, Velvet's founder. Lauren explains she's a financial backer at the club and confides that their landlord, Patrick McKinney, keeps hiking the rent in what seems like a deliberate effort to push them out. Junior makes a mental note to investigate, suspecting something doesn't add up.

Junior's father calls demanding he come immediately. Junior pushes back, telling him to assign Alec instead, and his father hangs up. Lauren gently asks about his family situation, and Junior reveals his father is forcing him to head an Agromafia-style olive oil fraud expansion in the U.S., a position designed so Junior would take the fall for any illegal activity. Junior admits he wants out of the family business and would like to run a legitimate operation. Lauren tells him she's proud of him, which deeply moves him while reminding him of his hidden sins, including something concerning her father.

Trying to change the subject, Junior asks Lauren what she'll do "when this is all over," assuming she'll eventually leave camwork. Lauren bristles, defending her career and community at Velvet, asserting she has her psychology degree and won't let any man dictate her life. The argument escalates and Lauren tells him to leave.

Before he can apologize, a commotion erupts at the entrance. Three drunk men force their way in; one shoves the professor and demands a woman. Junior intervenes, swiftly dislocating the man's shoulder and breaking his nose in seconds. The crowd is shocked by his brutal efficiency. Lauren, citing the club's no-violence rule, tells him he must leave. In frustration, Junior snaps that he's spent the past decade protecting her, a slip that catches Lauren's attention. He refuses to explain, grabs his things, and storms out into the night.