MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Morning arrived quickly, with sunlight shining through the blinds to mark the start of a new day.

Damon and Svetlana were awake and had been talking since early morning.

When Damon's phone rang with a call from the man he had seen the night before, he quickly answered.

He was set to get ready for what was coming, and Svetlana was going with him.

Victor, on the other hand, did not know what was happening.

He didn't know where they were headed or what their plans were, and Damon liked it that way for now.

Victor didn't question it, either.

Damon and Svetlana had been spending a lot of time together, exploring Dublin and the surrounding areas, so it didn't seem unusual when they left that morning with nothing more than a casual goodbye.

Victor smiled as he watched them leave.

To him, their relationship was a good thing, a healthy balance in Damon's otherwise intense and focused life.

And Svetlana's recently busy life, but also he was happy she wasn't alone.

He had no reason to suspect anything was out of the ordinary.

As Damon and Svetlana drove away, the air in the car was quiet but charged with anticipation.

Svetlana gazed out the window as the car hummed down the road. "Why didn't you tell him?" she asked, her tone light but curious.

Damon, keeping his eyes on the road, hummed absentmindedly. "Mmh?"

She turned to face him. "Why didn't you tell my dad where we were going?"

Damon smiled faintly, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Why didn't you?"

Svetlana chuckled softly but quickly tried to be serious again, leaning forward a bit. "Come on, I'm serious."

Damon sighed, his grip on the wheel tightening slightly. "I don't know, to be honest… What would I even say?"

She looked at him, her gaze searching. "What you told me, you know," she said gently.

He sighed again, this time deeper, and didn't answer right away.

It wasn't that he wasn't close to Victor, he was.

Victor had been there for him since forever, stepping into a mentor and father-figure role when Damon needed it most.

But that didn't make it easy.

"I don't know," he finally said, his voice quieter. "I've just… always found it hard to share deep stuff with him. Not because I don't trust him. It's just…" He trailed off, searching for the right words.

Svetlana stayed quiet, letting him gather his thoughts.

"It's not that I don't want to open up. I just… don't let myself feel vulnerable enough to do it. Even, I never told him anything about my past. If he knows, it's probably because my mom told him. Not me."

His tone was tinged with regret, but there was also a wall there, one he didn't quite know how to break.

Svetlana reached over and placed a hand on his arm, her touch grounding. "Maybe you don't have to tell him everything all at once. But if he's been there for you this long, don't you think he'd want to be there for this too?"

Damon nodded slightly, her words striking a chord. "Maybe," he admitted. "But it's easier said than done."

Svetlana smiled softly, squeezing his arm. "It always is. But you don't have to do it alone. You know that, right?"

Damon glanced at her, her encouragement making him feel lighter, even if just for a moment. "Yeah, I know," he said, his voice firm yet grateful.

Damon sighed, his thoughts swirling as he reflected on it.

It was so easy connecting and talking to Svetlana or his mom.

Maybe it was because both of them had experienced things similar to him, shared pieces of his pain in their own ways.

With them, he could talk about anything without hesitation.

But Svetlana was right, Victor deserved to know more.

Victor had always been there for him, a steady presence through the highs and lows.

And if Damon was truly serious about closing this chapter of his life instead of running from it, then Victor needed to be a part of that.

Still, now wasn't the time. They were on the road, focused on the task at hand.

When they got back, Damon would fill Victor in, he owed him that much.

For now, Damon kept his hands steady on the wheel and his mind focused on the road ahead, ready to face whatever was waiting for him.

They arrived at the address the man had sent.

Damon parked the car, stopping just outside the café, and they both got out, locking the vehicle behind them.

As they approached the entrance, Damon shook his head slightly, a faint smirk forming on his face.

'Didn't people have anywhere else to meet other than cafés?' he joked to himself. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire

The familiar smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm pastries greeted them as they stepped inside.

Damon scanned the room but didn't see the man anywhere.

Svetlana glanced at him, and he gave her a small shrug. "Looks like we're early," he muttered.

They decided to take a table by the window, where they could keep an eye on the entrance.

A waitress came by, and they ordered breakfast, something light, just enough to settle their nerves while they waited.

As they sat there, Damon leaned back in his chair, his thoughts briefly drifting.

Svetlana glanced at Damon's plate with a mischievous smile. "Can I taste yours?"

Damon looked at her, then at her own plate, which still had plenty of food.

His response was slow and exaggerated, dragging out the word: "Nooooooo."

She laughed lightly and was about to reason with him when the café doorbell chimed, signaling someone's arrival.

The man stepped inside, looking around as if searching for someone.

"Is that him?" Svetlana asked, her voice dropping to a curious whisper.

Damon nodded, his attention shifting.

But when he looked back at Svetlana, she had taken a piece of food from his plate.

He gave her a mock-disapproving shake of his head but decided not to say anything.

He turned back to the man, raising his hand slightly to catch his attention.

The man spotted him, nodded, and began making his way over.

Damon straightened in his chair, ready to get down to the answers he'd come for.