"What the hell was that?"119Please respect copyright.PENANAehA9MxPinn
119Please respect copyright.PENANAxZyLHJP6fF
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANA0rjLGxVNZb
119Please respect copyright.PENANACFHlirUb0a
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"119Please respect copyright.PENANAUoWsfQeRi1
119Please respect copyright.PENANAmJI4aL8vD1
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."119Please respect copyright.PENANAROY0HYukYj
119Please respect copyright.PENANAONm7jzjcDm
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."119Please respect copyright.PENANAJuKQtgTKHR
119Please respect copyright.PENANA5DS5rqB22J
"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."119Please respect copyright.PENANAr1bvpesfzH
119Please respect copyright.PENANApGbpi5jzYW
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."119Please respect copyright.PENANA5vysYfzbWj
119Please respect copyright.PENANAdfsuRuJX9F
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."119Please respect copyright.PENANAAusJOhCc0e
119Please respect copyright.PENANABfsJuerNE4
"Trust me, I know."119Please respect copyright.PENANABVl3XdZe8k
119Please respect copyright.PENANABopvwxk4Rf
"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.119Please respect copyright.PENANAoyZxuGZyZc
119Please respect copyright.PENANA5ZIag3BnsQ
Ayub gave him a flat look.119Please respect copyright.PENANAKv4N6m7fgV
119Please respect copyright.PENANAHKZEYdrjsA
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.119Please respect copyright.PENANAX7fA7feDkz
119Please respect copyright.PENANAkp1MYW20I4
"She’s nice. Not for me."119Please respect copyright.PENANALaZNLUQRJY
119Please respect copyright.PENANA3SLtsegcU0
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."119Please respect copyright.PENANAUkbyNazslv
119Please respect copyright.PENANAxDBqVQujqZ
Ayub said nothing.119Please respect copyright.PENANAb8T28HHGwL
119Please respect copyright.PENANABzm7wF7Eli
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.119Please respect copyright.PENANAkWxsrHhpnS
119Please respect copyright.PENANArDJ8SMo2t3
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"119Please respect copyright.PENANA91s3RWqu0q
119Please respect copyright.PENANApQRvOcoAGk
"What?"119Please respect copyright.PENANA1iJ6XabXXD
119Please respect copyright.PENANAfkp7xRgoS4
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"119Please respect copyright.PENANAh9NDWyvjRt
119Please respect copyright.PENANAigE9BbWbzA
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.119Please respect copyright.PENANAKMNYsAE14T
119Please respect copyright.PENANAfQonYpvd3Z
He didn’t answer.119Please respect copyright.PENANAC90wl7a3Ly
119Please respect copyright.PENANATbblxl2674
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.119Please respect copyright.PENANAvrHz0cHGOO
119Please respect copyright.PENANAGL5Kw5brTb
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."119Please respect copyright.PENANA9iVUwgsMGb
119Please respect copyright.PENANAcer9YZiCCl
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. 119Please respect copyright.PENANALPi1se5PiB
119Please respect copyright.PENANARTOzaylqd1
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.119Please respect copyright.PENANAfzI3XCfa8I
119Please respect copyright.PENANAaplvKWIwnf
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."119Please respect copyright.PENANA8LniqNSGWd
119Please respect copyright.PENANAitXoVJFBhs
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."119Please respect copyright.PENANAXnQFLkenqK
119Please respect copyright.PENANA9CdKSFPlhy
"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?"119Please respect copyright.PENANADJcyS0MkC2
119Please respect copyright.PENANAy4Ox8wF4yH
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."119Please respect copyright.PENANAo2hWXsb7P8
119Please respect copyright.PENANA8U7YKNa9pq
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."119Please respect copyright.PENANAWHCuP2ZRp4
119Please respect copyright.PENANAiDzZdbbnik
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."119Please respect copyright.PENANAw2vfrkL33a
119Please respect copyright.PENANAt8ZvwURRlC
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."119Please respect copyright.PENANAXPvyFtEykY
119Please respect copyright.PENANAHlVEqts4nS
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANAmw03JbEYQF
119Please respect copyright.PENANAbtKiGy0boN
It didn’t look like much.119Please respect copyright.PENANAGxipqld6tK
119Please respect copyright.PENANAedaOz9n6IY
But it would.119Please respect copyright.PENANA0wMc6vWLQo
119Please respect copyright.PENANAqSKpEThGQg
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANADRTp2aO3Fn
119Please respect copyright.PENANA3DqP5CnmSF
The caller ID lit up.119Please respect copyright.PENANAiKI5CmgDS6
119Please respect copyright.PENANA3VUpMsSuWV
Adil.119Please respect copyright.PENANA453UE9HQDy
119Please respect copyright.PENANAUQfMDkuWZQ
Both men groaned in unison.119Please respect copyright.PENANAYB6HHybp7l
119Please respect copyright.PENANARHfl95jHAB
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 119Please respect copyright.PENANArEdI36mkFL
119Please respect copyright.PENANAvQvf8ePEkw
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.119Please respect copyright.PENANAyUOqpMY6Ul
119Please respect copyright.PENANAnMoOCp9QKJ
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANAktq3iidHwz
119Please respect copyright.PENANA9yKMcCsAmA
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.119Please respect copyright.PENANAu91wJ0xMJr
119Please respect copyright.PENANA6DRuOF3fyb
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.119Please respect copyright.PENANAlNq2lDqgpU
119Please respect copyright.PENANAr6YhK0jdXt
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. 119Please respect copyright.PENANAUj9Xk1de6p
119Please respect copyright.PENANAXJhdM2blP4
Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.119Please respect copyright.PENANAPdSfvmX3io
119Please respect copyright.PENANACNds3o9q89
She wasn’t interested.119Please respect copyright.PENANAAr9b8Fe3x2
119Please respect copyright.PENANAsWOhN5eS4M
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANATSWXnnklNu
119Please respect copyright.PENANAJfzqzZtuoP
He jabbed the speaker icon.119Please respect copyright.PENANAYaqxYnxBbf
119Please respect copyright.PENANAjInnsaennC
“Adil,” he said, voice flat.119Please respect copyright.PENANAGhQDk0JPW3
119Please respect copyright.PENANAIaSA3v0ekS
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”119Please respect copyright.PENANAwP7GyHndII
119Please respect copyright.PENANAxZZkWIaEAR
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.119Please respect copyright.PENANAtyPTr1Jn1U
119Please respect copyright.PENANA0xHlETnP4j
“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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAJ1jwsmYOpY
119Please respect copyright.PENANA258m0XHvlh
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”119Please respect copyright.PENANApqRquhvxU9
119Please respect copyright.PENANANDpP2y1TLb
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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAdMdkgHqdLb
119Please respect copyright.PENANAFvIK3zD6Sm
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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAIZXz9tBtWc
119Please respect copyright.PENANA7lMNTQfS5s
There was a pause on the line.119Please respect copyright.PENANAiPjwEQLzx5
119Please respect copyright.PENANA86PHjca0kl
“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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANA4hqQ2cvbun
119Please respect copyright.PENANAFb5zNvJ3QV
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAltz78oLzT0
119Please respect copyright.PENANAdqczkfSBCY
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”119Please respect copyright.PENANA8PWNNvWdAR
119Please respect copyright.PENANAz5SelIOn2W
The call ended.119Please respect copyright.PENANArmAuQHxxWX
119Please respect copyright.PENANA14hOfHk18k
Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.119Please respect copyright.PENANARiC9FdWUBq
119Please respect copyright.PENANAFCUosbI0Mq
Neither of them spoke for a while.119Please respect copyright.PENANArGQo0SodaS
119Please respect copyright.PENANAl5Aq7pSswW
Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAIWCR55m9lm
119Please respect copyright.PENANAV0of800ZHU
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?"119Please respect copyright.PENANAenoPUwFSCN
119Please respect copyright.PENANAVhUAwYre24
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANAyClFqcxR74
119Please respect copyright.PENANAkAQzDZnSKx
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"119Please respect copyright.PENANATIkDszE3fO
119Please respect copyright.PENANA86MTYOkvSF
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."119Please respect copyright.PENANAHHaZj8FpjW
119Please respect copyright.PENANAiWzkVWVcAS
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."119Please respect copyright.PENANAT6KkQJeArv
119Please respect copyright.PENANAby4YabA6Sn
"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."119Please respect copyright.PENANARu5bvltqXi
119Please respect copyright.PENANAvtj6cmBN5j
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."119Please respect copyright.PENANA789Lve8NTn
119Please respect copyright.PENANAG0Vj1OhtnK
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."119Please respect copyright.PENANAk8KGqGRSlo
119Please respect copyright.PENANAM3gscayLgQ
"Trust me, I know."119Please respect copyright.PENANAJpeImVnfoJ
119Please respect copyright.PENANA09s8FFM84B
"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.119Please respect copyright.PENANAMiRC6jqXw4
119Please respect copyright.PENANAO8HJvjKR0H
Ayub gave him a flat look.119Please respect copyright.PENANAFS2vTmfU1f
119Please respect copyright.PENANAoJtAN5wBj8
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.119Please respect copyright.PENANA1wmwkvotAd
119Please respect copyright.PENANAEusfMK7GA7
"She’s nice. Not for me."119Please respect copyright.PENANAmzEAYEM8ux
119Please respect copyright.PENANAdoYUsh1LQS
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."119Please respect copyright.PENANAJCjMbWWC66
119Please respect copyright.PENANAbcdUOtTmRN
Ayub said nothing.119Please respect copyright.PENANAEOT1Zg1MQ8
119Please respect copyright.PENANA0wnwCc7RAS
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.119Please respect copyright.PENANAVHyq7C06qc
119Please respect copyright.PENANAJb6BDxfbG5
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"119Please respect copyright.PENANA19FgMJcthY
119Please respect copyright.PENANA0HYOGZqoxX
"What?"119Please respect copyright.PENANAMWEEGEklOy
119Please respect copyright.PENANAuM3FsC6QDD
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"119Please respect copyright.PENANA7O65N9QRkV
119Please respect copyright.PENANAPlCFGbu8bM
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.119Please respect copyright.PENANAviWGsQuJVq
119Please respect copyright.PENANA9Rnx5kNiAB
He didn’t answer.119Please respect copyright.PENANAC4rKDPFbJw
119Please respect copyright.PENANAoYbeqFxrzk
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.119Please respect copyright.PENANASzkzzdMz2w
119Please respect copyright.PENANABFRc81RXLf
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."119Please respect copyright.PENANAOtlRDuOuXC
119Please respect copyright.PENANAzG0Qy0NeKX
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. 119Please respect copyright.PENANAaUswUG0xo4
119Please respect copyright.PENANArZKNdmyaKL
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.119Please respect copyright.PENANA3XAIWhqggU
119Please respect copyright.PENANAWOSHE2m90K
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."119Please respect copyright.PENANAB1cRYesbbx
119Please respect copyright.PENANAxZbKtkhSae
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."119Please respect copyright.PENANApFY1PrYDkC
119Please respect copyright.PENANAyji0AGexW3
"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?"119Please respect copyright.PENANAiNehax4dAK
119Please respect copyright.PENANAO1zH2TYNZd
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."119Please respect copyright.PENANA9Zmz9CDV04
119Please respect copyright.PENANAdx3nQozwLF
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."119Please respect copyright.PENANApoQ0wXDQMK
119Please respect copyright.PENANAMl6hKyqBJu
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."119Please respect copyright.PENANAptUAhHoYA8
119Please respect copyright.PENANAaSnwRKXyhe
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."119Please respect copyright.PENANA63WEMLQZCI
119Please respect copyright.PENANAnLsoOVDsaZ
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANA5A7JZ9R4G7
119Please respect copyright.PENANAreOUFifSw3
It didn’t look like much.119Please respect copyright.PENANAUouCgNF8F2
119Please respect copyright.PENANAYtTHM3tHRm
But it would.119Please respect copyright.PENANA77zmDiSsen
119Please respect copyright.PENANAKYL1ZGxgWw
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANA322IOBR50E
119Please respect copyright.PENANAL5T0fKoWYF
The caller ID lit up.119Please respect copyright.PENANAPeUkAzGcmw
119Please respect copyright.PENANAqrviwQC7IA
Adil.119Please respect copyright.PENANAiWQ5jv3SiC
119Please respect copyright.PENANAtLR0Twquec
Both men groaned in unison.119Please respect copyright.PENANA13oGa8j8fV
119Please respect copyright.PENANAOzvgcT9xv0
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 119Please respect copyright.PENANAtVW8YIEJvd
119Please respect copyright.PENANAzoBvVWY7IX
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.119Please respect copyright.PENANA3pRFWhW6W3
119Please respect copyright.PENANAmuCR3g7SfW
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.119Please respect copyright.PENANADKenuVcim8
119Please respect copyright.PENANABVAZkKJKkp
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.119Please respect copyright.PENANA0j0FsYzoHa
119Please respect copyright.PENANAX3Qz4JKBNe
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.119Please respect copyright.PENANAkf6vPplAhi
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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. 119Please respect copyright.PENANAVowco995Cv
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.119Please respect copyright.PENANAJQpXMhTAW1
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She wasn’t interested.119Please respect copyright.PENANA66JKRdyOBl
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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.119Please respect copyright.PENANA85KgYHMbVM
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He jabbed the speaker icon.119Please respect copyright.PENANAE87ABqMqVi
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.119Please respect copyright.PENANAzHqLH6cNbg
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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?”119Please respect copyright.PENANA5lKpRdcqdv
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.119Please respect copyright.PENANAIbGKY6BO6c
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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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAJtglTf4c1o
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAYLjb0gvA2s
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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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAFb0WRZauiG
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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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAsz6GKZFEDh
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There was a pause on the line.119Please respect copyright.PENANAvtjP1CoD7H
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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.”119Please respect copyright.PENANA2cMrvmPrCw
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”119Please respect copyright.PENANAQgYdNZZFm0
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”119Please respect copyright.PENANARhgqvKOEGn
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The call ended.119Please respect copyright.PENANAnZx9AQifGB
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.119Please respect copyright.PENANA6wYsvD5QEh
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Neither of them spoke for a while.119Please respect copyright.PENANAjL2kiF86wy
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”119Please respect copyright.PENANALnLArR4Jrw
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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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