"What the hell was that?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHhz34WG1z
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fER0QHJ4g
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE933SVHUps
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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."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDCtX56YnL
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Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVUEsh04LU
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"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."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfC1MlGYTPu
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Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfwiWhkmUzL
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Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTgNrKJti3b
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"Trust me, I know."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkTfEgOhTot
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"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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡueD3MPFft0
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Ayub gave him a flat look.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIV2kYLZExo
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74msyjn5aM
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"She’s nice. Not for me."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSSlhvKTU9S
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Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEb0pZ49Ew
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Ayub said nothing.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvoVez9rlYk
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCIbjm89Hui
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9wv2n7fj4
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"What?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡizEIDL02Jz
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"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV3rSYaNt4J
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Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSJH6seux1
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He didn’t answer.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxpY07v9TV
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcFEEYYK84
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg65sLJ2aep
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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. 120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCxI5c7XlA
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"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelEoRrIk2U
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Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYH7hEV6wrH
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Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡapxj2DaFCw
120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PoAV2Arux
"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?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9W6CGw5lbL
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXsqZifdMX
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Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0rutAzhnYw
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"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFRoz30t26w
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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."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hH07Ms22U
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe4UARz2lgK
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It didn’t look like much.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1cz8hvds0
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But it would.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcTQJA5aRJ
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVOymjr7u6
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The caller ID lit up.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9Z8PYmNzy
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Adil.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1r75A2rji
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Both men groaned in unison.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWdyJ7NAGb
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Rc46P23Ep
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLDjqm449z
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB4d3RGCOBl
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVGZG4odmwu
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeYYQFbbqZl
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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. 120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Dtz4ONcoD
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡErGxHYnFYn
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She wasn’t interested.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfORHvYO5m1
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiBYNLzc19P
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He jabbed the speaker icon.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXM67wW01AH
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKq0hfPqyk
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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?”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ppyneabS0
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hMSjEnkGE
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwUpZ66RqPm
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQSvGovncd
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGq8DGkDzOp
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWf0etPUKoW
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There was a pause on the line.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPGpln8aPL
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9xyBGTxgnp
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKnYHU8eti
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygtAt7x3Kg
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The call ended.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SJGPMr10f
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx3S8SCYb2v
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Neither of them spoke for a while.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡif6o9T0rnH
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7IQsMdOFg
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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.
"What the hell was that?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskFSPKPHEo
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Oc9lJxKGh
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHl3T919qT
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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."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLqTcSeHGA
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Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYIZQnVT5v
120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrqewqM760
"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."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlhgiJtC2dI
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Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXbvtWqhds6
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Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhEKTI7bmPT
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"Trust me, I know."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7D1ZcbPwVI
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"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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TNlYDVrtn
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Ayub gave him a flat look.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIAUe9siu7h
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJTS721JNX
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"She’s nice. Not for me."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNNYPMECvgR
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Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSHYWDXtKP
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Ayub said nothing.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenMYLXuEE8
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2m8fnGWp0F
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOERdLZzba4
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"What?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDemPVqMOf
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"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡai0y0OgHna
120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63tKcKlkUx
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ExVDcYu1K
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He didn’t answer.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡro24yB465z
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEaSLJgc1L3
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoG3KB64bHw
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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. 120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRndksay1s
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"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVS79qJU0kM
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Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Wtix1v3Dh
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Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTTXzSQLljr
120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1YfljXkJyN
"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?"120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6xxmmx1Vc
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlsKeWBBNF
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Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Xa6HTOUqN
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"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hKK49oNja
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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."120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IvcxcVta9
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUO24xSzZ1n
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It didn’t look like much.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6RD5QO7EUd
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But it would.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qlrXidtfq
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmODP0QJbS
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The caller ID lit up.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBRqoJEEcO
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Adil.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmCtT89thsV
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Both men groaned in unison.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZhPmxFw8D
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeUIunLvjf
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPt4YlE4kZ
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvdQ0kbUZj
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoFdQg2nyi
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGZgdMhbq5
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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. 120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaB8reFosLo
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iJElB1ibh
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She wasn’t interested.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjLldy298K
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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.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVEHRVfDtp
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He jabbed the speaker icon.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡashU2VntMF
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQoiyX0je9
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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?”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQOxPRX2qfB
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyTBpmFhbG7
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOGRKs66tSm
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5rACalTrQV
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH9DZpfsS2j
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuZaWwRRiN
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There was a pause on the line.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3o1qleUZO
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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.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoWIwU5xol4
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofjZrfQ6pb
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8mTZXmeR0
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The call ended.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbZ5Xf3YeG
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlxjiuQ3UF
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Neither of them spoke for a while.120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv6ayAC3yM
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”120Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFgAY4Zx3g
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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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