"What the hell was that?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhtCneZP59
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyRD72Qdll
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfBJTJ15fD
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYmROHl8A5g
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMHPP1TW9N
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."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡToOPCgdHed
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBoVUL1l0b
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQpK6H5Q9s
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2TmH225JX
"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."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16qRRspX5S
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiU7swCGeqN
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfXKg9wLAG
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQwFKC3pynS
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUVPBu7pho
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmBZTxEE4m
"Trust me, I know."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUaoTDwst5K
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacJkEEetjk
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoIkjGt0JnF
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Ayub gave him a flat look.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwhODBBjOkj
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbi4DzEVEpS
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6s17ZoXxo9
"She’s nice. Not for me."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs3cL333Y5i
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3hYMBwoFQ
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CajnXMjNQ
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9bX1e4DQMr
Ayub said nothing.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdt2XVf7rj
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxrM5AEqyE
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oatt8V1lg
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXkY22b819
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtealSHe4k0
"What?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXVDkv4QdF
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGEU2biZs0U
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJWsre4F0j
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3wpk8U1Dhd
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYFrhiBiAG
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBsp84Dvd5
He didn’t answer.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMClibwja8d
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZQhkPShrU
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfRDPrdjdU
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lj1ajRfC3
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaTWwouirPd
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. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOnz5PxEKAN
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBqbiMvY7I
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEdK0C4ksMc
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4PMDKydWPl
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcBmGH2Vi7z
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlYB34alg1
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXEQchBKif9
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwytMuovjHT
"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?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJjceg4iB2
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDMyxRdYF3
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlV5kwqtKUO
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGoyXj00qR
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5FLZoDWC9a
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFKZMxqBl1r
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB84rOau3hq
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGGcoyNmDwl
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMxXCPlt2qT
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOzo2v42w5
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTJWN5CPfh
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYogqxSAKZ
It didn’t look like much.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8tzRaN1Uz
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But it would.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMh8SYXYTN
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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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ChY5ZNei1
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHi8CwXugPy
The caller ID lit up.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6icwXjypJ
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1q3sVcB2z
Adil.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL7EElxdTX
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Both men groaned in unison.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dQllF5tdh
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG9CDTNKsEJ
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7g09Kbdkx
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HykjQtQow
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlR6YB11lA
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubEq0rle7x
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IMX5jSr2A
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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. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gjrE4l1uF
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgE7wY0SqJ
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She wasn’t interested.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9tDOCo7OXc
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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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSYA2DntkO
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He jabbed the speaker icon.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemAiW4vIvV
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfoNDemK0V
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEI1MZdL5l
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQE7d51mj9
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3rFT16fwRm
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCNH9l5Nsk2
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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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDwT9GHCjz
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlOedKPP7K
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIMBd2EL8U
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwJ5YQJRXN
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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DqyWEzSPw
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBcaD0BQyCR
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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAY4jmMTQb5
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There was a pause on the line.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tjbHwpNwj
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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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5x7vFPkB6U
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC9KFlzlISn
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLNIsnBQLmE
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6N9jF1vyoG
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The call ended.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Z0nzgQvUP
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLU6eG9haHT
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Neither of them spoke for a while.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYEkxNNX6b
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRm8tDVxjLH
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudZYylPBIo
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?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEb3IHtyqA
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBlT7FOR7Q
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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8wdPvihBv
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfiAxLonXfw
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWtV1t9inkC
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."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgpINZAo7j
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNzlg9XuFN4
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2PDk46hfM
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUUtp2GM53O
"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."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyDYLMbbic
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJw4wknmRL
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ31c8MVcK4Q
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEmCpwFlKNn
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdT67iA7sj5
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKg7XLkYb58
"Trust me, I know."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcrF5v8PNE
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT8O7InM26
"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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4Kfsf9K1v
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Ayub gave him a flat look.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPQ9BT6FQj
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7S2712b23
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"She’s nice. Not for me."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMg6yK0V8Ta
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpk4v4e7XAZ
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxn2O5Vd1Fz
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQUrQxl0mg
Ayub said nothing.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ688R3Thxus
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmkuzMfxYe
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3i0Aujw5T
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWYx3L2CsN
"What?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7J4Xgn2sr
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVTRz4h0vk
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgE8mn0lUDt
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebEnIJa5HK
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnsHTqk7l7Z
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpyw1GpxID
He didn’t answer.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLM5QPEAOn
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZVnMP3miV
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuLrbddPJO3
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6tB8EmBMb
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. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9FrTiE4Oe
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMsMUdTtjm
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUGiq5Hdi1
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhDJWPhC6j
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkklb9YfbU
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPqgLdIyYj
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDuLCeS8edS
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbg6Lz2ioQ
"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?"28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoWLvaPddA
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviBJYbd8Eg
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZgewRL4Gd2
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdtOncW8ol
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzEmlwOMCxQ
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXLy88jQEic
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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."28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX0sNLnLd20
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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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesqPvIq5rl
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It didn’t look like much.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRDBlMTmsAy
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But it would.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTSCtWpngr
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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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLeVGhnd22
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The caller ID lit up.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCsfIMNO0Sg
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Adil.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnul3pzRDNM
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Both men groaned in unison.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmdiDxZTi9
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYfhHppuMq
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaK0oM59eR
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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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNfCQmWTgL7
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIiTtoxfqm6
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5Jy5ZF5Pl
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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. 28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuMLlBwOVL
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwvDKrjN0p
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She wasn’t interested.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD7axq8Bc4w
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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.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3rMRtSHVR
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He jabbed the speaker icon.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLMeUwFB7l4
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7L0Td1AoR
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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?”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7DxNRTGur
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD1wiIgh5w
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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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWV0JuRX3l
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXlKhJJvIa
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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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6KbK8I40p
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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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMwRLXcq9vA
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There was a pause on the line.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfkaMOjfHg7
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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.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtiTArkeNby
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTiIcGUHX1
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bbz3npaLW
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The call ended.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7oureubndX
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUIKfiUNpf
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Neither of them spoke for a while.28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcDtfLaFWv
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7gx0JRCg7
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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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