MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

While one family was busy connecting and enjoying the festivities, another was gearing up for some life-changing news.

Joey stood in front of a mirror, adjusting his black suit for the tenth time. He kept fidgeting with the lapels, tugging at the sleeves, unable to stop.

Ashley stepped closer, gently taking his hands. "Stop it, Joey. You'll mess it up. You look amazing," she said with a warm smile.

Joey didn't feel amazing. Sure, he looked sharp in the suit, he was a natural, but the beads of sweat on his forehead gave away just how nervous he was.

Ash walked into the room, glancing between Joey and his twin sister. "Well, this should be interesting," he said with a smirk, his arms crossed.

While Ash had been against Ashley and Joey getting together at first, they'd grown on him. Joey was a good guy, and even Ash had to admit it.

But everything changed when he found out Joey had gotten Ashley pregnant.

For a while, Ash had been disappointed, mostly in his sister for the situation they were walking into.

When Ashley came up with the idea of introducing Joey to their parents and announcing the pregnancy at the same time, Ash had initially wanted no part of it. But over time, his feelings shifted.

Their parents weren't exactly warm or forgiving people. They rarely joked, and affection wasn't their strong suit. Even Ashley's UFA career had been a point of criticism for them.

Most people thought Ash was the rebel, but in truth, it was Ashley who had broken the mold.

Their parents were pretentious and held themselves in high regard, looking down on anything they deemed below their standards.

They had never supported Ashley's dream of becoming a fighter, citing the risk of brain trauma and the unrefined nature of the sport.

But despite that, Ashley had carved out her path, proving them wrong and, in the process, opening doors for Ash to do whatever the hell he wanted, well with exceptions, since with Ashley disobeying them Ahs became the golden boy.

Ashley had crawled so Ash could run.

But pregnancy? That was an entirely different battlefield. Ash knew their parents wouldn't take it lightly.

Joey's nerves were justified, and while Ashley appeared calm, Ash could see the tension in her eyes. Whatever was about to happen, it wasn't going to be easy.

Back at the Steele mansion, Damon leaned back on the couch, letting out a deep, exaggerated breath.

"Nah, my controller's broken," he said, trying to keep a straight face.

Edward burst into laughter, barely pausing the game. "Excuses, excuses! That's the third time you've said that. We've switched controllers, Damon. Just admit I'm better."

Damon sucked on his teeth, annoyed but unable to come up with a good comeback. He handed the controller over to Ty with a shrug. "Here, you deal with him," he muttered.

Honestly, Damon was starting to hate games. The score was a humiliating 13-0, and that wasn't even the worst of it.

The previous matches? Let's just say they were so bad that Damon didn't want to hear them mentioned ever again.

Ty took the controller with a grin. "Alright, Edward, let me show you how it's done," he said, settling into the game with renewed enthusiasm.

Damon leaned back on the couch, arms crossed, silently vowing never to touch a game console again.

Victor chuckled at Damon's reaction, shaking his head. He had lost all his games too, but it didn't bother him much. It was just a game, after all.

He walked over to Damon and patted his shoulder. "Come on, let me show you something."

Damon glanced up, confused but curious. He stood and followed Victor out of the living room.

Honestly, he didn't mind leaving the room, it was better than enduring more of Edward's teasing.

Victor led him down the hall, smiling to himself. "Let's hope you don't hate games that much," he said, his tone playful. "Because I've got news for you. In fact, a lot of news."

Damon raised an eyebrow, a small smile tugging at his lips. "What do games have to do with anything?"

Victor grinned. "You'll see. Wait here."

He disappeared up the stairs, leaving Damon standing in the hallway, wondering what this was all about.

A moment later, Victor returned, holding a stack of papers. He handed them to Damon with a smirk. "Read this."

Damon looked at Victor, then down at the papers in his hands. Curiosity piqued, he began to read, his eyes scanning the text as he tried to piece together what Victor was up to.

Damon looked at Victor, his eyes narrowing slightly. "My likeness? Me in a game? Like that one?" he asked, pointing toward the living room where the guys were still playing.

Victor laughed at Damon's reaction, shaking his head. "No, not like that one. This is a fighting game. They're putting you in it. While it doesn't pay like actually fighting, it's great for your exposure. What do you think? Pretty cool, right?"

Damon stared at the papers, his expression thoughtful. He wasn't much of a gamer, so the gravity of the news didn't fully sink in.

Victor noticed this, sighing with a playful exasperation. "Ah, forget it. Just sign the papers and send them back to me. You'll see the magic happen later."

Victor's smirk widened as he added, "Now, for my Christmas present to you."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Damon raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"I know you're still mulling over investment options, so…" Victor trailed off.

Victor handed Damon a folder and smiled. "So, I have a few options for you to consider. You can decide what works best, but honestly, I think you should get a secretary or an assistant of some kind."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "A secretary? For what?"

Victor crossed his arms. "You're going to need someone to handle this kind of stuff, contracts, exposure deals, sponsorships. All the little things that pile up. Trust me, it'll save you a headache later."

Damon smirked and shrugged. "I've got you for that."

Victor shook his head with a laugh. "Ai ai, no way. I'll handle your fighting career, sure, but I'm not free labor," he said, his tone joking but firm.

Damon chuckled, appreciating Victor's honesty.

"Come on," Victor said, motioning back toward the living room. "Let's get back to the others. We can talk about all this later."

Damon followed him, still holding the folder and wondering just how much bigger his world was about to get.