MMA System: I Will Be Pound For Pound Goat

Damon pushed open the door to the bakery, holding it wide as Svetlana stepped in first, cradling Ava on her hip.

The smell hit them immediately, vanilla, chocolate, and something warm and buttery.

Inside, the shop was bright and welcoming, with small tables, display cakes in glass cases, and a wide counter stacked with samples and ordering books.

Ava squirmed a little, reaching for a plate of mini cupcakes near the front. "Cake! Mama, I want cake!"

Svetlana smiled but gave a firm nod. "After we choose, dorogaya."

Damon stepped beside her, looking over the display with interest. "So, how does this work? We just… point and eat until we pass out?"

The shop assistant behind the counter laughed softly. She was a young woman in a crisp apron, holding a notepad. "Almost. You two must be the Cross couple, wedding tasting today?"

Svetlana nodded. "Yes, that's us."

"Great. You'll get six flavor sets to sample. If you want more, we can go from there. Any allergies?"

"No," Damon said, picking up a toothpick and poking a cube of red velvet. "Only to dry cake."

Svetlana glanced sideways at him. "Behave."

He grinned and looked down at Ava. "You ready, boss?"

Ava clapped her hands. "Yay cake!"

They were guided to a booth near the window, where six plates were already being arranged, classic combinations, fruit fillings, buttercream swirls, even a layered dark chocolate with espresso ganache.

As they began tasting, Damon leaned in. "So we're picking based on flavor or what looks the most expensive?"

Svetlana rolled her eyes. "Flavor. But it has to look nice too."

Ava grabbed a piece with her full hand, squeezing the icing between her fingers and licking it clumsily. "Mmm... choc-late! Mama, more choc-late!"

"You haven't even swallowed that one," Svetlana said, wiping her daughter's sticky fingers gently.

Ava giggled. "I like this place."

Damon nodded in agreement, chewing slowly on a lemon-poppy sample. "Yeah. I could live here."

Svetlana smirked. "You'd get fat in two weeks."

He leaned back and looked at her. "Worth it."

Their laughter blended with Ava's babble as they moved on to the next flavor.

The tasting continued with a light buzz around the table.

Damon was halfway through a carrot cake slice when the shop assistant returned with a new set of plates, this time featuring more exotic flavors like pistachio-raspberry and caramel rum.

Ava reached again, her tiny hand grabbing a bit of frosting before anyone else had a chance.

"Dada! Dis good," she declared, sticking her icing-covered finger into her mouth. "More... pish-tash!"

Damon raised his brows. "Pistachio? You fancy now?"

Svetlana gently took the rest of the slice from Ava's reach before she could smash it. "She's got expensive taste already."

The assistant chuckled. "That one is one of our premium blends. Actually, do you two have a budget in mind for the cake? It helps us narrow down the options, especially with decoration and size."

Svetlana opened her mouth to respond, but Damon answered first without looking up.

"The price doesn't matter," he said. "As long as the cake is good and the quality's there."

He nudged Ava's side with a grin. "Right, Ava? We like good cake."

Ava nodded eagerly, half a smudge of frosting on her cheek. "Good cake! Yummy cake!"

The woman smiled politely but glanced at Svetlana for confirmation. Svetlana sighed, leaning back slightly.

"I mean... maybe we should consider a budget. You know, something reasonable."

Damon looked at her without hesitation. "There's no price on our marriage."

Svetlana gave him a look, half amused, half stern. "That's a nice line, but I'm not letting you get scammed because someone throws gold flakes on whipped cream."

Damon smirked. "Then I'll make sure it's real gold."

Svetlana shook her head and turned her attention back to the plate. "He's impossible."

Ava babbled, not fully understanding the conversation but copying her mother's tone anyway. "'Possible, Dada. No gold. No gold cake."

Damon laughed. "See? She's on your side now."

"Only when I feed her," Svetlana said, handing Ava a clean spoon.

The tasting session went on, more laughter mixed with real decision-making.

Between bites of mango cream and fudge mousse, they flipped through photo books of cake designs and debated tiers versus single display pieces.

Despite the back and forth, Damon stayed firm on one thing, whatever it cost, whatever it took, their wedding was going to be perfect.

Damon didn't care about the cost. Not really. If the cake cost a hundred thousand, he'd pay it.

If the whole wedding somehow added up to a million, so be it. This was the one day they'd only get once, he didn't believe in cutting corners on that.

But he also knew the limits didn't come from his wallet. They came from her.

Hell would turn cold before Svetlana let him spend that much on a cake. Or anything.

She had already given him that look twice in the past hour. The kind that said, I love you, but say one more dumb thing and I swear.

He leaned back in his chair, watching her go over the sample list with a red pen, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration.

Ava was still nibbling at the edge of a vanilla sponge sample, crumbs dusting her sweater.

Svetlana didn't like waste. Didn't like drama. Didn't care about showing off. And Damon? He was willing to spend everything, just not enough to fight her on it.

That was love too. Letting her keep them grounded while he made sure nothing felt cheap.

Either way, the wedding was happening. Damon wasn't about to let something as trivial as money slow it down.

He almost laughed at himself for calling money trivial.

But it made sense now. His net worth was in the hundreds of millions, and that wasn't just fight money.

That was the system, his wins, his quests, his milestones, multiplying everything tenfold over the years.

And then there were the businesses. Smart plays made early on, thanks to Victor's guidance.

Real estate, performance centers, supplements, even a minority stake in one of the top MMA gear brands. Damon didn't brag about it, but his finances were built to last.

[Sorry for the late uploads recently, while I don't want to make excuses, I have been sick, it's winter where I'm at, so first it was a cold and then now it's my throat or neck, idk what's going on, but anyway, I will make sure I don't miss a day, but please forgive my schedule, it will get back to normal]