"What the hell was that?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26YKUsPtF4
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJMOV7LZU0
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeDTZll17oC
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMbidbeG5S
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Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5im7c90h3H
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1stxpHCgoo
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Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlG8cbBOCQo
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Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0hP1Jb9DB
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"Trust me, I know."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG94IjpOrQ7
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS5kan5RNkv
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Ayub gave him a flat look.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsm0iqqkTUg
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNAiT3zer78
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"She’s nice. Not for me."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSfluzr0LA
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Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNe9Sb32B6E
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Ayub said nothing.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCI1mSBC78
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EX9rdfeDs
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQwOiG542N
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"What?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvDgHZbYkbL
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"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡry5gQxWvTT
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEokaAcGyYs
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFdzELSZoji
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He didn’t answer.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAwLVRJxMe
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYw1584IMj
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVbdBnRmeG5
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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. 115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJSbCAW0MqD
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"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDOd6rSAop
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Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡztQxkQraY2
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Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrhfAlnWG6
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"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?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMl9M0h5d4
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRSQnLyzO9
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Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR1TX4OsaQ
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"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOmRL9eXX5
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHEMkxYGQK
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmshhGdP4Rc
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It didn’t look like much.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkjocQZN4j
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But it would.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1am45zmYqW
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyaqbbhkN9
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The caller ID lit up.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE7S2oUpxaQ
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Adil.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRsxldsKLGk
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Both men groaned in unison.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4VBZRzaPwp
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tqpsGbF9T
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwLkmfLJb8
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXhasUWu8o
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkDYrVZ37l
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaddojlJWFt
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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. 115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8CoOIluOy
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LtzCMjt0m
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She wasn’t interested.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhl3kKGNvc
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrzfz6OVJd
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He jabbed the speaker icon.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRSfkWHGKE
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Z0BEmcrMz
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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?”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9pkrMDyd3
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtvG2RbVqhX
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpC8gPfsErJ
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSLM8mFaLK
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFZwWB4Wx0E
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIymwHO23Z
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There was a pause on the line.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvMjVRxceS
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANI2gMeJrW
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZjkkXwtFi
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDfmd98dPI
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The call ended.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfk9SnAJOK
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfLezhDgrfi
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Neither of them spoke for a while.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNBUdDwZ2O
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXANGRsyemw
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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?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZL1NOr48A
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhMMgWII2r
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkzgSvHmxls
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggEDd4xxJ2
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Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMaRGnKMfm
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYCWSMKXM8
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Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjHtV4cJqiC
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Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNrT3dEQvHq
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"Trust me, I know."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaRQIWDr1X
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAcuFEb18LH
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Ayub gave him a flat look.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpchwtYwxev
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9UMhPdhrBZ
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"She’s nice. Not for me."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqua8uwToR
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Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscy0gpt7bl
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Ayub said nothing.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnm32DnhHS
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPghJHphBE
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvCvwM3iX5
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"What?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUkoFO8Hb2
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"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaKIdlngK2
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgkw1D0VDm
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoyu4WdRCu
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He didn’t answer.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjE6VGL2NUn
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtK8O4lgeNG
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV0kYg8xofn
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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. 115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bgok92yrv
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"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWu8lTh2rfO
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Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxrY1ensP3
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwr2ofFLYT
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sJEtPKrjE
115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcn6Zav6ENG
"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?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXANmkMOEZm
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQ49FKqUo0
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Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrzgQmh37yF
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"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfMNZLTWvm
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhrqj7PwNQR
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMt2le1S9ui
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It didn’t look like much.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4YZTzCiCM
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But it would.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUgUOOt5Iby
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64AZd6LFym
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The caller ID lit up.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VNlAFnKPd
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Adil.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPBDOVaB1N
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Both men groaned in unison.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ08dL1UvHN2
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSBUbH6Og8l
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzdUzurfVW
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkm9anBCifa
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIClxmaMtaZ
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPbCmrwpHk
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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. 115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyG9wTL4Gg6
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlypwXxkoCk
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She wasn’t interested.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡezwCijdCn5
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk90vvYvdIy
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He jabbed the speaker icon.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3uyCs2Vi6
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8CF33GdAU4
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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?”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZvKBqsCyg
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgoQq4tOyD
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNrpmqTiNv
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnjrGlnAqo
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4n4QRMDE4I
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡETYRhHH1Mj
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There was a pause on the line.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgSenHYSmq
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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.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFTPRPEznoZ
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP4FCPMbqDj
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJ26uO2g8O
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The call ended.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeU0cdElXL
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODeaJIB0Ym
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Neither of them spoke for a while.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdFiCYZEbs
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4g4FTzTGc
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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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