"What the hell was that?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXs2wd6Zql9
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbo5l1pK0z
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqHYAuVbqQ
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe0ZbacMhli
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3o4UCS9uxf
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."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEeg4mtqJY
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw20gHG951m
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kPNZQAOkp
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdH87RfRiiB
"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."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuegEIbE69I
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgTuTmnBZS
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE2OImvM4c
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEWtJSzOcLA
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBDZbTvhXTJ
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWK7v9sVmE0
"Trust me, I know."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfkmpFh49z
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoh2J96MSZ8
"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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQT9F1WuggH
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQHxaSeHoa
Ayub gave him a flat look.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTXF3j0RNiF
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf855vvkmDI
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoVaTeoFFE
"She’s nice. Not for me."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0EVAdWy21
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLMX4Sxb7A
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAxwhNQJdS
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCDod8CPF1
Ayub said nothing.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUvEevIhqOg
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zwTovZHo0
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEa5aKUrdib
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFQb9sWBCa
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3tLG0tXzWr
"What?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm7lFmcwy6k
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2v5xvZs3Q
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT58lyoq8Z
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsYJhTvVD8
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaxly1WzSJ
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJbit7S0YT
He didn’t answer.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh5xVMsMYmf
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26UrRcaVJn
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqT3T1nm6fr
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Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1wNI9xzKys
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8V4ebeyFMm
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. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb6nEGLD9wL
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBL48NZDmAM
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw9Fcn6aXq
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujIZKDGlOt
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35Ddl3QlU0
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjIl8GaCxu
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEQ0ys3tP3p
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVm3hkfjDcw
"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?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh0xp8UP7w8
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPQOAkSyQZ
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQNqLojG7R
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aotRpBr4W
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfa5U7rf24P
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3UCMnFyHR
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkjSK5hS2i
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VfItSLgUx
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLbl4oESMCk
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwG9fkdoVM6
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KNcF2P70j
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7bw7FmtDR
It didn’t look like much.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAPkzlM05e
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HqssNnWJD
But it would.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3KhONX6hO
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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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBCxtJF6gCj
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The caller ID lit up.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgSZYDLxAD
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvfu4Tv9b5
Adil.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZmyCqPo4c
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Both men groaned in unison.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWLTlBrHy4
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡntDPI15biN
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMHrMNup6DR
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfpkU2frFp
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpn2QB1v7a
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHDr8xgQ8wG
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1zssf1c2i
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaVL2m0VBz2
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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. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡodwrEzxOge
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVpqvIu3SqK
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She wasn’t interested.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvwH3CC1SEZ
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQh54jBgQV
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRJC8ZQVEXK
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He jabbed the speaker icon.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtacUIjVJh
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Bn4hFV1rM
“Adil,” he said, voice flat.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghQONiCZLP
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx2tk4SU7ZX
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdNQKikZbEd
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡichm18dzX5
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfMugcI0I4
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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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG20eiTPJhN
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz4GzDDRsEZ
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡklsNLilFfa
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxmeCcVMKu
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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3BFhvQ57Oi
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUa0UIbpNLH
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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmi6eYyt7di
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There was a pause on the line.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlpw6eu8TY
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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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtt0CcwpAWj
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aI0AStcS9
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS84cgjdD7M
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqBYRRJrbP
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZdVMtfyZlV
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The call ended.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRA4A5sCBq
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6vczdBWtU8
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Neither of them spoke for a while.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF7iQJqGCT2
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLCVY24ixXj
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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?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69ADE8LKPO
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2M06gkOyoT
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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoDkhzgBBl
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Ayub sighed. "What was what?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblolnSbFcu
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVR7UjGvqQi
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."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZ4zyAtAtS
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfHoTDZROy
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE5I9hhoaT2
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcCGdHEf4rD
"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."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhQ4DdlJ9Tx
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1LyMsgFHp
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbk9rYIkPe
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kfHXunHqy
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoFXgSjvGJ
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOm0XRMnp89
"Trust me, I know."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CVn3IG3QX
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYdF2B3NWNA
"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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVcdLsvYVwI
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Ayub gave him a flat look.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0MIsGPjaQd
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"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzz046oRhey
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"She’s nice. Not for me."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqB4yIceqGw
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqfutBwlOB
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKWiK57bG9
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTEGOms3Nma
Ayub said nothing.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqmGgB8ZsYV
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The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Lrf0jLv9c
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Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6l2zxXNoz
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvQHMPzxqs
"What?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TWJaNlGd2
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYHOM7GTT0
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDQ8jP2093
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFz4gQ3rqYH
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8FZQqYAqX
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqXqSZU1TY
He didn’t answer.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSToNlOLisF
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfpTyzcOW9
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHy9dOju8nT
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJp91F3zno
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMFi5uQIo3
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0G5NQEb6n
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. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8X5KU5DDe
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjETeOdEmv
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNuB0YdLCX
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxcBKfPoFy8
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxKCFr2reh
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUph9BAYV4U
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO1LRm6cU1U
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LOV6AHmFK
"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?"117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTeZIQTsJU
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmc7JSI9HbO
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9lok48Dvw
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1l1d4Iud37
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWZjCGql99z
117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjl7WoNIAN
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTcMpiYWuvl
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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."117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphXRGXDI8k
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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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ07BBr0pB2s
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It didn’t look like much.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLc43AgK16u
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But it would.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4KM0hXx3pJ
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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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeWW80oNZz9
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The caller ID lit up.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOp1oVurXK
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Adil.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIOXVJzoRo
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Both men groaned in unison.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWBDkgA0PVm
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"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2hNAPa2IH
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Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHCCg6VcKb
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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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoHhWoIdHJ
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Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZd3IavSeiU
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Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhlemjPOot
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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. 117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgMs5kvA2T8
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGa9mFbVws7
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She wasn’t interested.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3KPoHEJNS5
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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.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Qbtg49LOR
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He jabbed the speaker icon.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYUD49fcsrT
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn07LFnkKEP
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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?”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhlLMiCaxU
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmv9FEDR6CC
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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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV22Nz79qt
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUubaGPNQO
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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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXtc59YG9oD
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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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggTv7EDWX5
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There was a pause on the line.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIXlLZfe47l
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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.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9J6fFLAxhW
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPX4T7EClCi
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLj90FLsyaJ
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The call ended.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBpwy1Peo2
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHYckQNefx
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Neither of them spoke for a while.117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrTlAZC1eT
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”117Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEOjsbR8qT
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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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