"What the hell was that?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdW3uBVc8qz
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClxQx0kgyn
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVG3oHyHPZ
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpBMFEkvHy
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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."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0whtcrK2j
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwmfAlrwtZ
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYkNm90OuM
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgpj5qsiQp
"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."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeUF3D2TxL
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb5lH3RSrJq
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqp064MOw8
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCe0qp17hg
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbHAr2kuZd
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr6attgQqn
"Trust me, I know."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiSBelSuHJ
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj2JPOKmiHH
"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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6amiQYlFA
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Ayub gave him a flat look.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhn3Vr6m9tx
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1FO1inWiAP
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"She’s nice. Not for me."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIwylbDXtN
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoJ1eMFomw
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaKK2oc5CX
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7r2jpLx4l
Ayub said nothing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5yHKy23Bp
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQWitxXmMt
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4HKawRWbl
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHJKHiBapI
"What?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndq6GDd1b7
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIrjDEwiNzV
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡofMkKh0aAR
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRHWt9qCsa
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2fNxicv2P
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He didn’t answer.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJqmsBG59b
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfzRMwALrOC
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBUW1dTClN
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeuQfQSBU6n
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. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTJhCCX7KL
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvB5sNTgApv
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDBQmPzytmo
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfkuIFdJVe
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWnGEYTcsNI
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrgi0xNpwW
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRJ2DtGsxs
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp7yGxim9e8
"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?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhyKe8Vwxx
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJmcXfsC6Y
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmccVSTFLmx
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFr8naJFw7
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSz6akGUtb
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLw57NTAf5
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AQDFBTmJs
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgMwmno9pS
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YfaT8cF9G
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgyGRsmeCKH
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCP0ykoq2i
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It didn’t look like much.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fzt43QTxf
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCCC1sDQyXP
But it would.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTdau5xHhW
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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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkPzCmkL1R8
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The caller ID lit up.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu742OxTpkk
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡka5wQ7qp0f
Adil.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BF4Nf902V
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Both men groaned in unison.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUv0UjbNjNI
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Y7NoGtIWE
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqXcubMjbb
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr7goHP4vvh
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6CGzV0Da8g
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQmf6gdp2iN
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdjgbxhK0xs
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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. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZtrF1SXIG
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUT4Ep385IW
Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPW4gSLvOE
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She wasn’t interested.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPXD7QQnHJ2
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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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLS3uMipzZZ
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He jabbed the speaker icon.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa7g5jcBZs
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbn4sFNxR5K
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuiB21HrY8
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbA5bvzipz
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZaaLpiFLgd
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtatzeCH8Pl
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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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Zm7lBfP7t
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmbdqqi4VQ
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtfOrkez26k
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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxevqNJGDj
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzXEoTvBCa
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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0eVp20cIm
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There was a pause on the line.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiqTqevvRim
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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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEaapq8FJT
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcj67QLYOhb
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHfHTQs4Bv
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWVIoaxwOp7
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjVQqyc0YZ
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The call ended.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOva98t9YzD
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkCLhzoWcY
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Neither of them spoke for a while.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIy11niRi0
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJnfp5xyAn
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7A3kdsNaA
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?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQxDRNyrR8
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pFN1fQN3j
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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu8g1MzM8of
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAe9rbMah71
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVFmuzv3Zc
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."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYom6VZQVfW
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0sO21mCmJ
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VWzuV84Hg
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn7UzcGFMFT
"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."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCA4bXFr6k
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDyEhN0DQ4J
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxeYEw5WjL
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9y2GQatpH
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw1scJ6wC0G
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVskf50qyK
"Trust me, I know."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRXJZybh1O
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmOeI4tph3
"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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Xo3smiqYk
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Ayub gave him a flat look.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchyytilEkN
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76BtvPpANQ
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"She’s nice. Not for me."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrclrGy7xp
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3v5KA078W
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqCG5KFISJ
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NDPetCllk
Ayub said nothing.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPcgRmJITx
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqWjIkxSdt
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTggo4iIIB
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTYlFVDNov
"What?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodPN34rg7W
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA1eqwpceoa
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ANOnvgSVS
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPfO4u60Mu
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbXK5mMswLF
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He didn’t answer.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHbm7fgXxeU
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvZsDkHrDeY
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkffwpOO8Ue
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46lH1WZIKa
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. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrRwlUjlUr
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p5v6T0DR7
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ES63EC3CX
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzCGlkYD6f
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcEsl1HQ6M
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKW6FmqlBJX
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHWD1IK9OJ
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35DI9hIgEA
"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?"23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv9n6Icy7wA
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5G9SfBJCY
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsaalk1pVA6
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlrIseJcD3
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6m80og4Ts
23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEwKTlrTsX
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IEMoZ7GWa
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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."23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Mu4DzTCH9
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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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXILzWJwJo
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It didn’t look like much.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dbrLTOda2
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But it would.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4sEHXj1K4
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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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWdnqRHf1tU
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The caller ID lit up.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJBtbH3Jem3
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Adil.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwWN5imS3eV
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Both men groaned in unison.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8xWwnKh0m
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAokfuqWbn
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCAzdGjCi3
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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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cj9Mmd9sM
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbrBDgoNHG
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgmBV9L9rQV
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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. 23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSkNBYKHwX
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ZUEy6OQXy
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She wasn’t interested.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaJ9W38bBr
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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.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2F4rwc4j8G
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He jabbed the speaker icon.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtVV8spPaXY
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3itEOoaoKI
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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?”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97LKUvJ9oT
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWqSKc7Bv8
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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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWosTkh8Qa9
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalsbcmU4Mk
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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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjairLZdhw
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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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCpi61kkTo
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There was a pause on the line.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdRAbLFUOan
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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.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIdp14WrS4
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN9D8YdxlN
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXfedkDtbT
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The call ended.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliffj7XOP2
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzA8EAo0S0c
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Neither of them spoke for a while.23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnntjm3tyAd
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”23Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicayWGsWYf
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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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