"What the hell was that?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ONGkynWui
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHybsn3b75
Imran didn’t wait until they were out of the building. The door had barely clicked shut before he tossed the question like a grenade between them.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7O9vIkStX
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QwDlKE88X
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Imran turned on his heel to face him, grinning like the proud older brother of a man who had just learned how to throw a punch. "That line. That delivery. That tone. You know exactly what."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAMojlKBZ0c
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtzKavtvii
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuQ4gOysz9
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7joxHPC5vf
"Responded? That wasn’t a response. That was flirting, and not even the accidental kind. You actually had bass in your voice, bro. I almost blushed."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcKhAqHfXY
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6H0cEUF4Z
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOqCcYBi7I
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUIwUIbN5n
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA2MD9musu
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbd2FRyaUj
"Trust me, I know."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5y57FhqA4
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap9BDpNVK1
"Jasmina's been glowing all day, by the way. Like she just got nominated for an award. 'I get to work with Lamija's Ayub,'" Imran mimicked in a pitch-perfect impression.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfPA3aI9oe
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Ayub gave him a flat look.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwSVtouRc6T
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRa4dOxsk7L
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"She’s nice. Not for me."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0XTuPL2CV
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmMm5Yu1TZ
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡff7JUBkwQK
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VFc64LjlP
Ayub said nothing.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLZugpBUHA
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPvtNqs40r
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2cV9jYQwJ
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSks6t0x4tJ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDW5V2REQf9
"What?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsWURaGHm0
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFCxifoyu0f
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UnW14mxJJ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjMJxE9hfc
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSJCYu2sOSv
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJPtqvOKOi
He didn’t answer.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLGWRIssL2
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwuxVZrzes
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJ4UaTBFkc
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQTWKii01ZR
They drove in mostly silence until Imran turned down a narrow street. He had told Lamija they were checking out the property on Marindvor. This was not it. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8McQJFtEpk
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmSV4Qo4sL
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuMnaRiM7rN
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcprGFzSpkL
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcVqiIhNcn
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4lIdWPXZj
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcp4beJDNCl
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48NbQRnt1u
"This one’s different. I want to open a gym. Full training setup. MMA, strength, discipline. Talha will run it.”
Ayub turned to him, startled. "Talha?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmauGdGImH
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUx7DAf8ac
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqntBfHbVWQ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mQlQMwpE2
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBByhubUzy
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqDhA9niw0
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpXRELIwTbr
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6asTvtzQj
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIeQDpJpZZ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oZOieEze4
Imran shrugged. "So are most people with greatness in them. He needs direction. And he needs to know we believe he can lead, not just fight."
They stepped out of the car and stood in front of the building—tall windows covered in dust, scaffolding still clinging to one side. From the outside it didn’t look like much yet.
But inside?
Inside, it had bones.
High ceilings. Reinforced walls. The echo of potential.
They moved through slowly, dodging ladders, exposed wires, and half-unwrapped fixtures. Imran rattled off specs—bag layout, ventilation, locker spacing—but Ayub barely heard him. He was already seeing it. The mats. The sweat. The chaos with rules. He could picture Talha in the middle of it all—loud, focused, alive in a way he rarely was outside a ring.
"This could be good for him," Ayub said. "The kind of good he doesn’t think he deserves."
Imran just nodded.
Ayub kept walking.
And the more he saw, the harder it was to ignore the weight sitting in his chest.
Because this wasn’t just a gym.
This was a gift.
Not the flashy kind. Not for show. This was the kind of thing you gave to people you considered your own. Something that said, You belong here, even if you don’t believe it yet.
Ayub glanced back at Imran—at the way he moved through the site like he was laying down pieces of a future that already had space for all of them in it.
No fanfare. No speeches. Just action.
That’s what the Begovićs did. They didn’t hand you pity. They handed you responsibility. Ownership. Purpose. And somehow, they made you feel like it had always been yours.
Ayub looked around again, jaw tight.
This family—Imran, his father, even Lamija—they spent their wealth like it was a shared resource. Like it belonged to all of them. Not just blood, but anyone who stayed long enough to earn a place.
They took him in when his own family left him on a doorstep.
Now Imran was building Talha a gym.
He didn’t say thank you. Not out loud.
He just stood there, letting it sink in.
This was what legacy looked like.
Not power. Not reputation.
Just people investing in each other like they meant it.
"You ever going to admit how far gone you are?" Imran asked, not even bothering to look up from his clipboard.
Ayub shot him a look. “I told you—I’m not letting her mess with me anymore.”
Imran grinned. “Look at you. Boundaries. Words. Growth. Ayub 2.0.”
Ayub snorted. “She pushed. I pushed back. That’s all it was.”
Imran didn’t push it. Just raised an eyebrow and went back to checking off specs.
Then Ayub asked, almost offhand, “You still chasing Selma?”
Imran looked up, unfazed. “I wouldn’t call it chasing.”
Ayub scoffed. “She pushes you away like it’s her job, and you just keep showing up like it’s yours.”
Imran smirked. “We’re persistent. Not reckless.”
Ayub raised a brow. “You Begovićs don’t know when to back off. It’s admirable. And deeply concerning.”
Imran laughed, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “She’s different.”
“I know.”
“She keeps me at a distance like I’m a grenade with the pin halfway out.",” Imran said, quieter now. “And I get it. She’s been through hell.”
Ayub nodded. She had a look in her eyes that he often saw in himself and Talha. Like she was always bracing for something to fall apart. "Someone like you would be good for her," Ayub said aloud before he could stop himself.
Imran was silent for a second, then said, “I just want her to let me love her. Her and Sanel—both of them. That’s all.”
Ayub didn’t respond right away.
Then, quietly: “You’d be good for her.”
Imran didn’t react. He just held his clipboard a little tighter.
And Ayub didn’t say anything else.
Because some things didn’t need to be unpacked in the middle of a construction site.
Some things just needed to be said once—and meant.
They walked the rest of the site in silence. When they stepped back out into the sun, Ayub glanced once more over his shoulder at the building.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK7LayRMmAY
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It didn’t look like much.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1o7mCTkBXj
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6sSsQjrPdz
But it would.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mKlYxEQX2
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They climbed into the car, the doors closing with a thud. Imran tapped the ignition. Just as the engine came to life, so did the screen.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIyLYbmO4Z
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmRtFHzJvV
The caller ID lit up.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwaIqVhHqG
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26SBRdQYaI
Adil.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQYe6aaiFmG
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Both men groaned in unison.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHUmU0jFug
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUqdTXCVBOH
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNIGOkW436
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxTT2uqPHj
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVQc4pwpO1
Adil’s older brother—Nedim—had been circling Lamija like a vulture for months. It was never about romance. Never about her. It was strategy. A merger dressed in gold cufflinks and tailored suits.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hCEVW86za
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvQ9WUAf6R
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7g3HyEM9Z
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Husine had built the company with ruthless precision, but when it came to his daughters? They were never pawns. They were the jewels in his crown. And Imran lived to protect those jewels. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lErKC97n1
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzijB9pRmG
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She wasn’t interested.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPLMDAYKsB
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And if she ever did lose her senses and gave that bastard a chance, Imran would burn the whole board before he let her become someone’s strategic win.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGbRIlTsGa
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He jabbed the speaker icon.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXG0KSKrOv
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2YyYhNKVd
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrk3dOK3TI
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vwroRTYKi
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRHbUZAYGN
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“Listen,” Adil continued, “I need a favor. Nedim saw that Lamija’s been eyeing the new Solène bag—you know, the crazy limited drop, three per country. He wants to get it for her.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgtATQ59Im
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY3SK0TFMU5
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9jFNirA01
Adil laughed. “Of course you did. Always a step ahead. Then maybe give it to Amina instead? Let Nedim take care of Lamija. It might open a door.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0TWh2FglD
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2o2Odwzyge
Imran’s voice dropped into ice. “As long as I breathe, Lamija and Amina will be taken care of. Tell Nedim to back off. She’s off limits.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDbDA3TS0k
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There was a pause on the line.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavqAioO6K8
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“I’m serious, Adil,” Imran continued. “It will never happen. My father would burn your company to the ground before he marries her off like cattle. And I’ll burn everything your family has ever built down just for the fucking fun of it.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqE7XW8zfQy
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGuKbibtbxm
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFM6bCGjsB
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyh47mGLUY
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The call ended.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPdN7Fkoih
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYhVElYE91
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Neither of them spoke for a while.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcGQchOpjr3
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZBgCwslVK
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWKQIlJm3O8
Imran’s fists flexed on the wheel. “Same.”
Ayub watched him in silence. There was nothing to say—because he knew if it ever came down to it, Imran would burn it all.
That was the difference.
Men like Imran protected from the front.
Men like Ayub watched from the edge, unsure if they were even allowed to step into the fight.
And for the first time all day, Ayub wasn’t just angry.
He was reminded.
That no matter how steady he stood, no matter how much he gave, a woman like Lamija might never see him as more than a shadow behind her father’s throne.
"What the hell was that?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsSONce2fVJ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCaFMSHCdOc
Imran didn’t wait until they were out of the building. The door had barely clicked shut before he tossed the question like a grenade between them.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbahRVGdOz
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1ebObUIuk
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhPEcyXQWe
Imran turned on his heel to face him, grinning like the proud older brother of a man who had just learned how to throw a punch. "That line. That delivery. That tone. You know exactly what."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9Bmr0kc8k
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgC5QHFRSUi
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6Hctds9UC
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMu39bXRDx
"Responded? That wasn’t a response. That was flirting, and not even the accidental kind. You actually had bass in your voice, bro. I almost blushed."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapDrkbTck2
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZd1GW3tGGO
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUEBidQbwq
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXd5LKIdGy
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkYH8Dy4mp
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57uQFnUPXE
"Trust me, I know."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rMnqd1y5A
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomapNCvH8y
"Jasmina's been glowing all day, by the way. Like she just got nominated for an award. 'I get to work with Lamija's Ayub,'" Imran mimicked in a pitch-perfect impression.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RbbeDVfht
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Ayub gave him a flat look.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9eDNSWJIbW
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYoqjnpER0b
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"She’s nice. Not for me."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVdhJEw9uJ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡawFqjbCMAR
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKY9djOGklk
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Ayub said nothing.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjSanK0glp
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrQJJyMKN5
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡef0FE1d56Q
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ647smAgJZI
"What?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7nJqhvNe2L
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAGiwTNYbg
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZgiZqzOgs
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb868Q0wkgU
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrlIeTcTxI
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4UNRbLmcy
He didn’t answer.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPQdfGpfpJI
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW53ZPWqXZc
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFuDvrkw85
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aC3UivEWs
They drove in mostly silence until Imran turned down a narrow street. He had told Lamija they were checking out the property on Marindvor. This was not it. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Rc9c5UdTI
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKygwBgKkp
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1PrL42LTW
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTwPgJYown
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyqYRtmteZ
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOmEqjJ5tm
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9lagnlgliO
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvLrksR9YF
"This one’s different. I want to open a gym. Full training setup. MMA, strength, discipline. Talha will run it.”
Ayub turned to him, startled. "Talha?"118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjAQ39ncKBt
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ftssnFPwP
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICVVK94KP9
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9Sg8F38u1
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNV5Jdv4Jm
118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4H95TP2km2
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJU2MOEd6S
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Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLqVOWTbtI
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Imran shrugged. "So are most people with greatness in them. He needs direction. And he needs to know we believe he can lead, not just fight."
They stepped out of the car and stood in front of the building—tall windows covered in dust, scaffolding still clinging to one side. From the outside it didn’t look like much yet.
But inside?
Inside, it had bones.
High ceilings. Reinforced walls. The echo of potential.
They moved through slowly, dodging ladders, exposed wires, and half-unwrapped fixtures. Imran rattled off specs—bag layout, ventilation, locker spacing—but Ayub barely heard him. He was already seeing it. The mats. The sweat. The chaos with rules. He could picture Talha in the middle of it all—loud, focused, alive in a way he rarely was outside a ring.
"This could be good for him," Ayub said. "The kind of good he doesn’t think he deserves."
Imran just nodded.
Ayub kept walking.
And the more he saw, the harder it was to ignore the weight sitting in his chest.
Because this wasn’t just a gym.
This was a gift.
Not the flashy kind. Not for show. This was the kind of thing you gave to people you considered your own. Something that said, You belong here, even if you don’t believe it yet.
Ayub glanced back at Imran—at the way he moved through the site like he was laying down pieces of a future that already had space for all of them in it.
No fanfare. No speeches. Just action.
That’s what the Begovićs did. They didn’t hand you pity. They handed you responsibility. Ownership. Purpose. And somehow, they made you feel like it had always been yours.
Ayub looked around again, jaw tight.
This family—Imran, his father, even Lamija—they spent their wealth like it was a shared resource. Like it belonged to all of them. Not just blood, but anyone who stayed long enough to earn a place.
They took him in when his own family left him on a doorstep.
Now Imran was building Talha a gym.
He didn’t say thank you. Not out loud.
He just stood there, letting it sink in.
This was what legacy looked like.
Not power. Not reputation.
Just people investing in each other like they meant it.
"You ever going to admit how far gone you are?" Imran asked, not even bothering to look up from his clipboard.
Ayub shot him a look. “I told you—I’m not letting her mess with me anymore.”
Imran grinned. “Look at you. Boundaries. Words. Growth. Ayub 2.0.”
Ayub snorted. “She pushed. I pushed back. That’s all it was.”
Imran didn’t push it. Just raised an eyebrow and went back to checking off specs.
Then Ayub asked, almost offhand, “You still chasing Selma?”
Imran looked up, unfazed. “I wouldn’t call it chasing.”
Ayub scoffed. “She pushes you away like it’s her job, and you just keep showing up like it’s yours.”
Imran smirked. “We’re persistent. Not reckless.”
Ayub raised a brow. “You Begovićs don’t know when to back off. It’s admirable. And deeply concerning.”
Imran laughed, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “She’s different.”
“I know.”
“She keeps me at a distance like I’m a grenade with the pin halfway out.",” Imran said, quieter now. “And I get it. She’s been through hell.”
Ayub nodded. She had a look in her eyes that he often saw in himself and Talha. Like she was always bracing for something to fall apart. "Someone like you would be good for her," Ayub said aloud before he could stop himself.
Imran was silent for a second, then said, “I just want her to let me love her. Her and Sanel—both of them. That’s all.”
Ayub didn’t respond right away.
Then, quietly: “You’d be good for her.”
Imran didn’t react. He just held his clipboard a little tighter.
And Ayub didn’t say anything else.
Because some things didn’t need to be unpacked in the middle of a construction site.
Some things just needed to be said once—and meant.
They walked the rest of the site in silence. When they stepped back out into the sun, Ayub glanced once more over his shoulder at the building.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZsaq56w5v
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It didn’t look like much.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcFXYftjCA
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But it would.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiShkhTUw0v
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They climbed into the car, the doors closing with a thud. Imran tapped the ignition. Just as the engine came to life, so did the screen.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVqdJB3RET
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The caller ID lit up.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcF8gQE21Ue
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Adil.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJvup8HVGv
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Both men groaned in unison.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzLRS03xM1
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixY5nKf0C1
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnf1ybbwB6
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Adil’s older brother—Nedim—had been circling Lamija like a vulture for months. It was never about romance. Never about her. It was strategy. A merger dressed in gold cufflinks and tailored suits.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5OOlHm1Af
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBfXWbcvei
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmsqITR0dB9
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Husine had built the company with ruthless precision, but when it came to his daughters? They were never pawns. They were the jewels in his crown. And Imran lived to protect those jewels. 118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkE680IHIWA
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR4nhE7ELj
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She wasn’t interested.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtb1cuZF8Dw
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And if she ever did lose her senses and gave that bastard a chance, Imran would burn the whole board before he let her become someone’s strategic win.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS4UUS7hLj
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He jabbed the speaker icon.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBJn5tuKXy
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGt6xyHGbqG
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“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZohapzSYm5
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsRe5dMfEa
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“Listen,” Adil continued, “I need a favor. Nedim saw that Lamija’s been eyeing the new Solène bag—you know, the crazy limited drop, three per country. He wants to get it for her.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFJhCcN2vU
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIHII9XrXa
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Adil laughed. “Of course you did. Always a step ahead. Then maybe give it to Amina instead? Let Nedim take care of Lamija. It might open a door.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRUAW6jKSa
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Imran’s voice dropped into ice. “As long as I breathe, Lamija and Amina will be taken care of. Tell Nedim to back off. She’s off limits.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgH7W6xHiCs
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There was a pause on the line.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6wlTPH5vl
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“I’m serious, Adil,” Imran continued. “It will never happen. My father would burn your company to the ground before he marries her off like cattle. And I’ll burn everything your family has ever built down just for the fucking fun of it.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO3NWau1CI4
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQU9TW0bCz
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBu5LPIfV6s
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The call ended.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkLHYx5m4R
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndU0GMmNKd
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Neither of them spoke for a while.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzgqsub2f9
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnbf8bSD8v
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Imran’s fists flexed on the wheel. “Same.”
Ayub watched him in silence. There was nothing to say—because he knew if it ever came down to it, Imran would burn it all.
That was the difference.
Men like Imran protected from the front.
Men like Ayub watched from the edge, unsure if they were even allowed to step into the fight.
And for the first time all day, Ayub wasn’t just angry.
He was reminded.
That no matter how steady he stood, no matter how much he gave, a woman like Lamija might never see him as more than a shadow behind her father’s throne.
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