"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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAaQxkbhnjTV
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAT36h21xh5o
"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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAAbNcnciy3I
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAzTq6xQ16fR
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAO6U6XXzPIF
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAfUAwqyob7r
The caller ID lit up.117Please respect copyright.PENANAlgSZYDLxAD
117Please respect copyright.PENANATvfu4Tv9b5
Adil.117Please respect copyright.PENANAcZmyCqPo4c
117Please respect copyright.PENANAHGrm6fYr6z
Both men groaned in unison.117Please respect copyright.PENANAUWLTlBrHy4
117Please respect copyright.PENANAH1uskdVu3C
"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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAyQeGAqPJmg
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.117Please respect copyright.PENANAo1zssf1c2i
117Please respect copyright.PENANAuul513Tw38
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.117Please respect copyright.PENANAaVL2m0VBz2
117Please respect copyright.PENANAKmKwFDyDEV
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAMvWIXehJGK
Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.117Please respect copyright.PENANAVpqvIu3SqK
117Please respect copyright.PENANAMZ6XtoF80R
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAtqic7kxPQo
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAVnI3g7YHQV
“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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAHd2YWxmtUc
There was a pause on the line.117Please respect copyright.PENANAOlpw6eu8TY
117Please respect copyright.PENANAKiBZ8PgPJ8
“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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAgKtuIWoclU
The call ended.117Please respect copyright.PENANAPRA4A5sCBq
117Please respect copyright.PENANACfpIfukhKi
Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.117Please respect copyright.PENANA6vczdBWtU8
117Please respect copyright.PENANAwOYHarb1T5
Neither of them spoke for a while.117Please respect copyright.PENANAF7iQJqGCT2
117Please respect copyright.PENANA5WqstYPWr4
Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”117Please respect copyright.PENANALCVY24ixXj
117Please respect copyright.PENANAIe7e2Wirya
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANA5KHTOA1Ykq
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAyffu7kgau0
Ayub gave him a flat look.117Please respect copyright.PENANA0MIsGPjaQd
117Please respect copyright.PENANAUB2iRhuYC1
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.117Please respect copyright.PENANAzz046oRhey
117Please respect copyright.PENANAhRpvRr0Om3
"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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAN5HCb4om8Z
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.117Please respect copyright.PENANA7Lrf0jLv9c
117Please respect copyright.PENANAPZ2GeuLcpK
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANApD5NlZRD7N
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAj5UF42q69B
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAUXzZCKjHZf
It didn’t look like much.117Please respect copyright.PENANALc43AgK16u
117Please respect copyright.PENANA0hNF2LDfcI
But it would.117Please respect copyright.PENANA4KM0hXx3pJ
117Please respect copyright.PENANAWCnLgqhpOb
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANA2nIWJuR0J7
The caller ID lit up.117Please respect copyright.PENANAbOp1oVurXK
117Please respect copyright.PENANAG76GLeJgoD
Adil.117Please respect copyright.PENANAaIOXVJzoRo
117Please respect copyright.PENANAamkXTfuTdb
Both men groaned in unison.117Please respect copyright.PENANAWBDkgA0PVm
117Please respect copyright.PENANAHJt2zgN1Ri
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 117Please respect copyright.PENANAa2hNAPa2IH
117Please respect copyright.PENANAMY0HBUVC3Q
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.117Please respect copyright.PENANAfHCCg6VcKb
117Please respect copyright.PENANADZVfl8sErp
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
117Please respect copyright.PENANAuIIYwAuBOr
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.117Please respect copyright.PENANAZd3IavSeiU
117Please respect copyright.PENANALK166R4zBw
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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