"What the hell was that?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6Q8aJePcH
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVk57RHjgT
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUuGZu2Mq5
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaccsjjbJR
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Kv7Dxc2fH
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzB8WnbzKa
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIV69MWDnK
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlB80w0XlxD
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjeYoRo3jU
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjAxADa5wr
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vk3GCeJqN
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfy1UjeFfvQ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAC42DmOXj
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3XG329tu70
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"Trust me, I know."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡibg0CvnNjW
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5H8AteqMhS
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE1aciD1uP
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Ayub gave him a flat look.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdNlk6uVjH
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA6iADC8FFT
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFishurUNf
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyADlPn5NfJ
"She’s nice. Not for me."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2t16b8JYx
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkYZvR92X4s
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQf2Yvi1XHS
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eAMGFb4HY
Ayub said nothing.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLScziVtuo5
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGCwDe9V2g
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aiKOINvy0
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fR1mecpk5
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3lpUjWYbL3
"What?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBIRJT27Lya
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnntYjGeYNP
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcB8BQNFZR
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA3YG1oppUD
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5XrEZoTspR
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIJgiUgs6E
He didn’t answer.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNVukWVn8L
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8cx6uQ9ZS
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35XAvSak2L
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaVroLMstS
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHLPjjTMne
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. 108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡar3iqGnZXe
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BkIfSQfid
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjccsy6Q6Xc
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡARDQmxsEOH
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnroyRIDpiH
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegiTBUT3it
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHTx0RZ4XC
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLDioe0F7E
"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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu3bHkr7J6W
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj197gF1Heh
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDafrABCbo
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtjJnXzWMYH
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpuuTObZwiE
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RJOOGlrOx
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cJoyQGVGi
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5APAMGPLFO
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk1Dj8Y2RaK
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEZncyI3op
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcntJ5B0vwN
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6ovLS3BOE
It didn’t look like much.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVRtVkXKgp
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW7zeLBar1N
But it would.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH59TAH035Y
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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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡginIbxkyAV
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATQpyDPT81
The caller ID lit up.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwJNQwSEq8
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Adil.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkviLcnC9p
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Both men groaned in unison.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVKFgAiXa4w
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIBKQrJsWY
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5R0biNYBj4
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8RoVuk9bb
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfxPqQRYYE
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiHKo4Rxm3G
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCj9BXCaZdF
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRz3gV2LKWL
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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. 108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZj7cMXJPo
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz5dPyYWUj
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She wasn’t interested.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFEsQisrY0O
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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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4wh0L0ZvE4
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He jabbed the speaker icon.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GUUeZHarB
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWh02UNN2k8
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1GYosrv05e
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlZUp3VdukY
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDFiaT8gXm
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhcYNCMtK3I
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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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa3SKqc14eQ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMALvTViyz
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddZAkO0XHL
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW12HhPtXiI
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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzp1sNvqX9q
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9cq32Lomt
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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtTgrzk8Xr
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There was a pause on the line.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjd1F4ImEPE
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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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreTlXxYwJM
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlZxERzU7g
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX8brOwBTOf
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbmoraPKNGe
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The call ended.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEHykNOKcL
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVn501ciWq
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Neither of them spoke for a while.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxyuLS8iC1e
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbTvyqWVmuJ
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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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg3UE0fDcyz
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMLhDWAVGDF
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgxs1Dcxt1
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbugodx3JO
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwbu0ga307
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmFtRkwmJe7
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxk38Ljsf7Q
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCXRiKpodl
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvBVu1C01d
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDEfSxsZ7u
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsp77R6RLa8
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡicwToh2gx7
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHSHgF3jyi
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VEHGSxXln
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUBrdjARLY
"Trust me, I know."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlCczLEKhO
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuc9HUjqC4p
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZMUUwZBDFV
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Ayub gave him a flat look.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzpoAIQYf3
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9inDTMwRrk
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"She’s nice. Not for me."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz2sZQ5CzW
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzGEBF4kIg
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOE9XnHKRF5
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Ayub said nothing.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmC0rdgZor
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqeMTY97ucO
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmcLz2RXLC
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlg0U1ECzj
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgI377Ejmk
"What?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS0IXotRzl
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3D6YeWeldB
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkbkKgPBw6
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUeUdCah5hh
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLxQyyGGk0
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2bspbUE55
He didn’t answer.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAd6aloFeYQ
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But the tightness in his jaw said enough.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxG5kmZwQ7
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBV4DxDh6L
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqD1VzH9J6
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmLLYaCwOJ
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. 108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdR5Of3fjBK
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIhMuU3yio
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaPZq90e9kr
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFDNmrDiIDB
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVRpjPr31j
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL3wCYbjMtB
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpBEFatgXNa
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGswO3VWBWg
"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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2qasJvf2j
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyaD8sAcKl
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBJG9PMsQuB
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1hikExGTq
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIfRwIf4ZmS
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFMrQz7lIYv
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIvsKirj20
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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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoMIrxPgMQ
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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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalh4XK4ydl
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It didn’t look like much.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZx26ROddR
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But it would.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnTgFrKtaC8
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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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMnurrcg60O
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The caller ID lit up.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZOpKBwAq4
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Adil.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvYref024A
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Both men groaned in unison.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdc7Oab7cl
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6ceHrLrHR
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWQaFUZJiUK
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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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJtDh8344u
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtuB0nwd6la
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8DVv8YIhZe
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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. 108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDegPfinrKt
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcx2WzS68w
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She wasn’t interested.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF43Tjq1VfR
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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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRs5usRsJV
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He jabbed the speaker icon.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLK5wRP9hFt
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKJVvMIqSZd
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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?”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsdpdN04sr8
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGR4tP8GLhU
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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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhX1BIYdaKz
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfh0W1YKqT
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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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxbJFQ5ZSr
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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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Bu76uq6Av
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There was a pause on the line.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IrjmRUBZU
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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.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iCm7OVTAv
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZjB7acSlQ
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOTn6P1KK5
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The call ended.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7BJ3wUN6N
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldJOwgO9Xh
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Neither of them spoke for a while.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ02aqeC0Wx
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8ANnBqWx0
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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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