"What the hell was that?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwbTfxwEux
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mgVRp6Z4o
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc32PPXCf4m
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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."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0NFiV0naq
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Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqAd5J3fqA
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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."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq54Uvh62vm
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Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtwaNLOvJAG
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Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMxItWFP2x
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxsprevqxx
"Trust me, I know."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgp72ahN9eP
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbBXoPEQlYJ
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Ayub gave him a flat look.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2mb7SNCoq
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqaigyo0oLI
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"She’s nice. Not for me."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOP17r9YpK
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Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllmOnxdbfr
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Ayub said nothing.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFbH5QhvSE4
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY98JoO8t3z
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AQsng7ULe
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDDGeTkfmBC
"What?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbEyss6xHI2
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"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdQlSY2mBwi
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwuOTefe2r
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPBRo5bTBK
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He didn’t answer.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmV4PS13s54
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9v7HrlkoE2
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpdOlMdvG2l
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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. 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZv8Lcfn5J
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"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVZRn5wP1v
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Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡadxY0DVgsk
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhAHad3cXc
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjhZsKtK7A
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5mRSKrWAm
"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?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRl04LgF5hd
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNVHMwYF4Pr
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Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob1TrucacI
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcww6BTCwAN
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZqCh397AN
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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."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiI33ZrIVpI
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhhm7avXh7
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It didn’t look like much.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaLk4uF24N
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But it would.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldhlsXuksn
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy0fAlKIRLs
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The caller ID lit up.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡED1rShoS09
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Adil.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkJxf1Vcke
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Both men groaned in unison.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHvzpikMbt
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOG4d3oc6k
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUz7UyBRogG
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfFKphb6YY3
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3zjdKXKxY
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbamHCIwTg
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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. 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsk7IkjWVy
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Nmxwh1hqd
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She wasn’t interested.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ243gpotxhg
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvfvPQTpzN
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He jabbed the speaker icon.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSftyZmmnfH
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMx0d8mmnOR
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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?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAT5rHRllo
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJc0isVc0rK
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeQOODLsMo
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNY3wb1ZYEI
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcSwZgUlqx
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpARsMjdrR
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There was a pause on the line.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSC3tfMKAUL
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNolDmYLlrL
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOpI2WoPdHc
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoVuOWHZYEO
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The call ended.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrRNlvpjHr
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTwIZeA8eR
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Neither of them spoke for a while.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0HsMjJYxP
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaV0tFz2mHI
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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?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQUwUqgv7d
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCHRar9qDpW
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTdhMRrygE
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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."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbBbSPwmG1
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Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A8tmUTdhS
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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."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqE3rqtJgU
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Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBm4kDcRt6l
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Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlic3pUmRj
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"Trust me, I know."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftK5fqFGFp
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrXL6b7BdMI
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Ayub gave him a flat look.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuo3LpZqYZ
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrTN9LzO91
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"She’s nice. Not for me."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaakOzFBPIn
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Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudREIMMf2u
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Ayub said nothing.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgER9vz9TQF
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0gQx0fDCR
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEyoBLKj72
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"What?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAT9yLCy6ka
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"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhDu0sVDzPY
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxB83UtOKj
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEo0rEjFY8T
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He didn’t answer.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzqBv12rZB
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gOqv4yaBx
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnUhDxVe4M
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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. 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5t6l0S85DU
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"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZySGSxukKH
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Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVo5Iic7TDa
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9rCRzOvr0
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhTd3aHabq
85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUH148wjhW
"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?"85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu93JFdij0y
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Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqaNKfVl9U
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Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlVX0ud8kWm
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"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZDzPoqtXU
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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."85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6paT6Uti4
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa3rAgindc
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It didn’t look like much.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITbBgrBDlu
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But it would.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrFdcZnqHn
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMxedOaSKW
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The caller ID lit up.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZudKVykMY5
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Adil.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QVlpTdGX3
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Both men groaned in unison.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtSKSNaqxu
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkFQXEY5rxn
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRguLRYiV7c
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5snk9kvmV
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOxURmaEchS
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ODo9wECgb
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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. 85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFIiZGGWJ9
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfesQDdDExk
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She wasn’t interested.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsERnER0PWp
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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.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxd6iVBYIq
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He jabbed the speaker icon.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxuVoA3BSOG
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSS0cjYz6N3
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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?”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQzWrJg4Qg
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSslSy50kFG
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdkfOBBSes
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12iiHGSSip
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOC1OTAQPaW
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfh786D6bUu
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There was a pause on the line.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMTkRVPBdm
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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.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDiXGVu9ub
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOQJMeVkJI
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1DCdYDpkzF
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The call ended.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1NLhLYMzV
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFwzdLSn8c
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Neither of them spoke for a while.85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtAdb6gdgE
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”85Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzG7hKJPt8
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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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