MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat-Chapter 696: Brotherhood and Mayhem

The bachelor day started slow. Damon woke up later than usual, took his time with breakfast, and mostly lounged around while checking messages.

He had no idea what the guys had planned, but Joey had told him to stay free and stay rested.

Ash kept sending cryptic voice notes like "hope you stretched" or "no regrets tonight," which only made Damon suspicious.

The group was small, just four of them. Damon, Joey, Ash, and Victor.

Ty couldn’t make it, sent a message in the morning saying he had some family stuff to handle. Damon understood. It wasn’t a big crowd anyway. That made it feel better.

Victor arrived first. He was dressed casually, jeans, clean sneakers, and a windbreaker. His presence calmed Damon down.

Victor wasn’t the wild type. He was the kind of man who kept people in line without needing to say much.

The fact that he was joining the bachelor hangout made it clear this wasn’t going to get stupid, and that was a relief.

By late afternoon, the four of them met up at a private lounge Joey had rented for the day.

Ash started the night with a shot and a toast, "To the last night Damon Cross lives as a free man."

Joey clapped. "Here’s to making sure you remember it... but not regret it."

They spent a while in the lounge, telling old stories, some funny, some reckless, a few they all probably remembered differently.

Damon found himself laughing more than he expected. It had been a while since things were this relaxed.

Later, they drove out to a private karting track Joey had booked.

Damon hadn’t done it in years, but it turned into pure competition the moment helmets were on. Ash was reckless.

Joey tried to cheat. Victor drove like he was testing tires for a sponsor. Damon held his own and ended up taking first place in the final lap.

Afterward, they picked up food, parked somewhere quiet, and ate in the car like teenagers.

That was the best part.

At no point did it feel like a setup for chaos. And Damon had expected at least one push in that direction, but it never came. Ash joked once, but even he knew where the line was.

Victor being there kept the tone balanced. Not strict, but respectful. Damon felt it and appreciated it.

They finished the night late but without a mess to clean up or stories they’d regret telling. fгeewebnovёl.com

It was fun, simple, and full of real memories. Exactly the kind of night Damon needed before his next Chapter.

And he knew it.

But oh, how wrong Damon had been.

The day had been fun, just the boys hanging out. Just laughter, food, and competition. The kind of peace he didn’t realize he needed.

They returned late to the rented place they were staying in. Damon felt good, genuinely relaxed. He stepped out of the car, stretched, and looked around.

"Thanks for the day, guys," he said with a small smile. "Would be cool if we did this once in a while. Set up a trip. Just us."

The rest nodded in agreement. Even Victor, who rarely commented on stuff like that, gave a quiet thumbs-up.

Damon walked ahead and opened the door.

It was dark. He took a few steps inside, then stopped. Something felt off.

Then the lights snapped on.

"SURPRIIIIISEEEEEE!!!"

The shout hit like a wave. Dozens of people filled the room, cheering, clapping, holding up drinks. There was music, streamers, snacks, even a balloon arch near the back.

Damon stood there frozen, blinking at the crowd.

He leaned toward Joey, speaking low, though not exactly whispering. "Who the fuck are these people?"

Joey shrugged. "I have no idea."

Damon glanced around. He didn’t recognize half of them.

Before he could process anything else, Ash stormed in behind them and shouted, "YEAHHH!! Time to get the night started!"

That was all the encouragement the strangers needed. Music went up. Drinks started passing hands. Someone grabbed the mic to play hype DJ. And it became clear who the real host of this surprise was.

Ash.

Of course it was Ash.

Victor chuckled and shook his head. "I am too old for this."

But he didn’t leave. He stood near the back, arms crossed, casually observing everything with that quiet, seasoned calm. He wasn’t judging, just watching. He knew Damon. The kid was wild in the cage, not outside of it. Victor trusted him.

Still, he gave a small smirk and added, "Have fun. Don’t worry, I’m not drinking. I’ll keep an eye on things."

Damon laughed. "Oh well. I guess I will."

He grabbed a drink off a nearby table and took a sip, letting the loud music and chatter settle around him. For a few seconds, he just stood there, scanning the room.

Then he frowned. "Where’s Ash?"

Joey glanced around, then turned Damon by the shoulder, pointing across the living room.

Damon’s eyes followed the gesture.

He squinted. Then blinked. "Is that... is that strip poker?"

Across the room, a few people were already down to shirts or socks, and right in the middle of it, cheering, grinning like a lunatic, was Ash, shirt half off, tossing playing cards like confetti.

Damon stared. "What the fuck..."

Joey glanced around the room, the lights now fully on, music thumping just loud enough to shake the floors a little. He let out a short laugh. "Been a long time since I was at a party like this."

Damon didn’t respond right away. He was still scanning the room, taking it all in. People were clumped in groups, drinks in hand, others laughing around some kind of wild dare game in the corner.

A couple guys were dancing. The strip poker crew was still at it. Everywhere he looked, someone was doing something unhinged. It wasn’t a mess yet, but it was definitely chaos with rhythm.

He raised an eyebrow and muttered, "I swear half these people weren’t even invited."

Joey grinned, shrugging. "That’s what happens when the address leaks."

Damon sighed, but his smirk gave him away.

Joey stepped closer, nudging him with his shoulder. "Well, I guess... happy bachelor or whatever it’s called. Now come on, let’s get this shit on."

Damon chuckled and lifted his cup. "Let’s go then."

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