"What the hell was that?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9KRJXSjsL4
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAL7dysNID7
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmww7hdzq6t
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG31XV14Xqj
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmH1X6ozzH
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0P36zVghz
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."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjVA9GA53fK
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlj28bVYNw
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBeP3TZ1ou
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxBJ9TDIRK
"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."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCnIzAmqBSb
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIhjhKYBua
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBdag2Plhgr
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiMXnnPtvH
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYyaWq0UCCw
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknXjsYwczK
"Trust me, I know."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zARrAoiDH
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOmRyXXOH1
"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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mwCAPsA2n
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHt6bLNAGpT
Ayub gave him a flat look.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWHd1YMpy1
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsTM9dyRKI
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10BtQffFkg
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUxo5C8cAe
"She’s nice. Not for me."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmLnMDybOk
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR0vCwirm4
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN4z0TfKiQa
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ91jTx4RtOZ
Ayub said nothing.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJHF1K2OTI
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvppvDR7kjp
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKaVVqNw8r
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCZozvV7dc
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PpUC4J7Qj
"What?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJiOnqB1mmt
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHaiuvXQyS
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9IFpRPOcE
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgq4Y7LipG
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgNbwW7i1Y
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdrgZJa19ad
He didn’t answer.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdNnLIEQ7i
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbMZbHMK4Ow
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGTMXtUVdS
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDMCTuoqPcA
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutjFLoRZZh
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphCfhc83Zt
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. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQzko17Bp5
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHuZmvg186
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGCnT2IvQp
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsfRVfd29z
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7Dt7rWEbi
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaiYyu0tYL7
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85FBnKAZEo
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6hH0wRnmU
"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?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkAOmKsDAs
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUL237bAe3H
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGFUrwY4vx
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPvRcGaLdf
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVtcyO6PwG
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwMjY3H53i
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8AfMcwZMm
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacDnPG1rx1
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0V5UECYKJr
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuR2aVKvEk
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2LIzrAgts
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8JBXlV8aq
It didn’t look like much.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdCrxV6l0p
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwpWxVBJgm
But it would.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNgIOFREJl
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImrOg2kOCY
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjZ45qmmsF
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7tzybAVaz
The caller ID lit up.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApqmV7AlK4
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SVhIcGmVx
Adil.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3vVAizBVG
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtyQzPfEJIL
Both men groaned in unison.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBr1E2SdCF
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXMtp7971a
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx0ykyp2hc
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzG4x1xLOF
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKiENDYzsc
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11n4gCNL8t
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXFyRvGs9zl
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ERcFgaRSi
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQQirZYBji
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRIFqoP397
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGpnfVgTQ9T
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDanjULqy1
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. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaurPjtD1o9
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2fynuMK8S
Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShsrAsjRqw
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She wasn’t interested.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvj8VDKvXy
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYoShs4Lj7
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvyXWnnhc40
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He jabbed the speaker icon.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnthlwrVpfp
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2i2izkAK4d
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVAVHu9m4u
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ6JTcsNlNY
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx33ImoVnCp
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1cBPsQ7Af
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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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqDVUvF8tp
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcy8VgT5wl
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQBwsBBSct8
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qvMC2rYv6
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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa6pBMOx6lb
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMRDXynUta
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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5U07Vkqvin
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There was a pause on the line.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJqxpDmHJu
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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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CL5BjPtct
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Pi0eaZwMz
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsghBZvK9Eh
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKyfnOWJhg
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9p6ZHRf8VG
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The call ended.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaL1wqTihI
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ptvoueXeB
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Neither of them spoke for a while.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxaljHk4pB
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0AUl9JKSv
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5UK55yqJSC
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?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAUbZYnryj
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnkEEdiore
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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh68sqJOfRu
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zDSycYp9c
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzKwn3sKco
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdl6ETgINM
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."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBo4Re45FX
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnMEAZ6KZrC
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVseTl0nTWf
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMebF04iZ7y
"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."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEBUjp1p1v
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoaJN8DqlQ
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCA4ILYvYqr
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOvJeW5iIzX
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9AznrthRw1
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSp8S0c9hY
"Trust me, I know."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCOp4lTOax
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwpBas1v8v5
"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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd79BH51Ygx
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcns0pRjRh9
Ayub gave him a flat look.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLHEVOcqBb
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xWyNfK6PC
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA9GuHF0RDs
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ekZqfuygA
"She’s nice. Not for me."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98sJyY0NNO
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebODFPLXxe
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfMlWWTp2i
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjJ15f7e3eo
Ayub said nothing.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7ll3ETJ9f
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWNWwev07Q
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxPYnoLnHh
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtz91AeAnH
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FvUQGQCnD
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmNjo7ZqU3
"What?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡME4I56RD2x
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCL7j5mWui
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNJcglKBXL
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CQQjI6nbO
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFpG9SRZiB
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLfDvA8Zu3
He didn’t answer.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtdzy0TQXk
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTok7XIp3v
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGb4JfXYQhP
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLf1wyEI1uV
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHetPWLXM1s
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXLavucKKv
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. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAEPUs3b31z
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DCZ3qxnJE
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYi3tvPXUo
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHKALUKT4F0
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqUBOROGp9
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjO5CaXYT9c
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6MRcP9uks
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6x5fl0xdk
"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?"67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBc5zmRGD4i
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclHav8tIyk
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ51tdWsO5Fy
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3C6lmIp2ZU
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCj96CNVPW
67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtIPQtQr57
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpZZiLQzYQ
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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."67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzl2B4S7Oqr
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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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4J0rwL1B2N
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It didn’t look like much.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJdhmwUGbX
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But it would.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFH5pRz8bK5
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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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Ztn130Ja8
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The caller ID lit up.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjKP6EWWBh
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Adil.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IFR3LP1AC
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Both men groaned in unison.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEETjdz940M
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ81U3dcSUvy
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqPciJGe02
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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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0x97UYyoki
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXUzYYyfWWb
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5oegAed7QS
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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. 67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4gAGiGsN7
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKmCab7sBt
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She wasn’t interested.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrH0ueAXKP
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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.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNBdGCWoekD
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He jabbed the speaker icon.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVfhFp36YE
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7rVpMoZODg
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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?”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC2Fj7Oz1Q
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi23WqQlO19
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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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQOVYKNS92
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykvNRIYMm0
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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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7nrfc3Scy
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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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVotmMNoco
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There was a pause on the line.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANtDSzC4C0
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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.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHMofrXHGD
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrWQ2UzZai
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniOevNQ0PB
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The call ended.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDPQc8ctC8v
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhzIEAmn5fu
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Neither of them spoke for a while.67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACOSjWhAaW
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3D5jTVwPy
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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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