"What the hell was that?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAyHeWs8Wfi1
121Please respect copyright.PENANAruG91yRoJU
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAYIxAKPOZCn
121Please respect copyright.PENANA6zYX4rq2jM
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"121Please respect copyright.PENANA7hKAyw8mTe
121Please respect copyright.PENANA0EJy8CrZZh
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."121Please respect copyright.PENANAXbsfCjBgxC
121Please respect copyright.PENANAyH0vs84CH1
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."121Please respect copyright.PENANAkBNtfnUiv7
121Please respect copyright.PENANAMQZO1B2UCy
"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."121Please respect copyright.PENANAAr3hulauV8
121Please respect copyright.PENANAPBMDvHQ6rs
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."121Please respect copyright.PENANAMsfaMJMfsU
121Please respect copyright.PENANAvx5iTkp24O
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."121Please respect copyright.PENANAN7jcEMWBLI
121Please respect copyright.PENANAmnTRovXbb5
"Trust me, I know."121Please respect copyright.PENANABG3VU11xkG
121Please respect copyright.PENANAY0HXltblEv
"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.121Please respect copyright.PENANA5o32Sh1lii
121Please respect copyright.PENANAFR2esEeS4D
Ayub gave him a flat look.121Please respect copyright.PENANAiJkr06bHah
121Please respect copyright.PENANAqDTavgBqtQ
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.121Please respect copyright.PENANAb3tj2zWAc4
121Please respect copyright.PENANAWSrQW9aowT
"She’s nice. Not for me."121Please respect copyright.PENANAF9icRyBn9Q
121Please respect copyright.PENANAPwWPZ7omYo
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."121Please respect copyright.PENANAD4n7Lc316o
121Please respect copyright.PENANAb7xJnMCAGJ
Ayub said nothing.121Please respect copyright.PENANAKJd7lgdM0g
121Please respect copyright.PENANA26qTcWX6UQ
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.121Please respect copyright.PENANAnixDV2AYoZ
121Please respect copyright.PENANAwayhB7n2Qj
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAUQqq9glDUS
121Please respect copyright.PENANAij0XVLCRIj
"What?"121Please respect copyright.PENANANAeuUUh9Pi
121Please respect copyright.PENANAokT2beR2lI
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAlectctPMMR
121Please respect copyright.PENANAYdTvT9VZCK
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.121Please respect copyright.PENANA04GEZW10Xx
121Please respect copyright.PENANAbWCkjfZqjR
He didn’t answer.121Please respect copyright.PENANAnCrBX78UJR
121Please respect copyright.PENANA0jYKAgq8UF
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.121Please respect copyright.PENANA6Z6wDzhS1N
121Please respect copyright.PENANAtngT324eab
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."121Please respect copyright.PENANA44r7GZCLrT
121Please respect copyright.PENANAgsqGQJ3WZv
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. 121Please respect copyright.PENANAM7I3U0EXnD
121Please respect copyright.PENANAg1JG6JRHiC
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.121Please respect copyright.PENANAes77P6lzoc
121Please respect copyright.PENANAG3YZRezb3T
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."121Please respect copyright.PENANAIvMURvf43a
121Please respect copyright.PENANA4D3VRfXSoo
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."121Please respect copyright.PENANAzAuT0xWpKy
121Please respect copyright.PENANAdhVtohTYD0
"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?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAfsZAZPYJz9
121Please respect copyright.PENANApHO2FWppU4
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."121Please respect copyright.PENANAritH44m3ik
121Please respect copyright.PENANAntxYDwTtwM
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."121Please respect copyright.PENANAZOekolhEce
121Please respect copyright.PENANATGuzuZDGq2
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."121Please respect copyright.PENANAc8PW2SwjYd
121Please respect copyright.PENANAzYMqJbRG3b
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."121Please respect copyright.PENANAy5AkuviOiE
121Please respect copyright.PENANA8Edw4ajUAv
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAUH9zrsELio
121Please respect copyright.PENANAO7U7xX5nRI
It didn’t look like much.121Please respect copyright.PENANAOtzfys0kOb
121Please respect copyright.PENANA8053hB6OXZ
But it would.121Please respect copyright.PENANAEOlBg149fL
121Please respect copyright.PENANA6hD8apQWbK
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAwAtfiXsswe
121Please respect copyright.PENANAvIMYeGU7F8
The caller ID lit up.121Please respect copyright.PENANAtUeFsQOWB6
121Please respect copyright.PENANAru5j3Cc1JO
Adil.121Please respect copyright.PENANASWtGe9S7VH
121Please respect copyright.PENANARu0G057ZwR
Both men groaned in unison.121Please respect copyright.PENANATqPUBDk3Cs
121Please respect copyright.PENANAjCshW9coL1
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 121Please respect copyright.PENANAbNreOh0D8Y
121Please respect copyright.PENANAdGzHC40EXa
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.121Please respect copyright.PENANAPyHfhaMl7W
121Please respect copyright.PENANAM0xz5TeJkA
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAETGgk1gS9m
121Please respect copyright.PENANAFkNb1XMExW
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.121Please respect copyright.PENANAqnoNtR6FeY
121Please respect copyright.PENANAJHbbKC29Qh
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.121Please respect copyright.PENANAH8PT5n5BJM
121Please respect copyright.PENANAQFKwonEhKs
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. 121Please respect copyright.PENANAlQ1T9vvBXQ
121Please respect copyright.PENANAAx9sf1N9am
Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.121Please respect copyright.PENANACDT2UphKCb
121Please respect copyright.PENANAUCeNxV9Smc
She wasn’t interested.121Please respect copyright.PENANA6FMlu65Cfi
121Please respect copyright.PENANAD1TGi9a83g
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANArqBA5emt4H
121Please respect copyright.PENANAwvssVAY5uS
He jabbed the speaker icon.121Please respect copyright.PENANAbBkGQZKSH2
121Please respect copyright.PENANAlllb7USZfs
“Adil,” he said, voice flat.121Please respect copyright.PENANAjC7elaLuGq
121Please respect copyright.PENANA22VZCVWjFS
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”121Please respect copyright.PENANA35UZUovS7h
121Please respect copyright.PENANAsCtbUKpan4
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.121Please respect copyright.PENANAukY7Kq9w2o
121Please respect copyright.PENANAe0GwmmNbhs
“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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANADYYku4sJRx
121Please respect copyright.PENANA4l5de5VuMb
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAJ3QRQK8kTC
121Please respect copyright.PENANAkF5B6RLZm7
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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAxeuNBV4Dmm
121Please respect copyright.PENANAjbpCvDDd4r
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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAv9PJGaTxjD
121Please respect copyright.PENANAfy34HvW17g
There was a pause on the line.121Please respect copyright.PENANAALvsUfx0Kl
121Please respect copyright.PENANA6IQ0KUtGQN
“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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAzvfIyQMw1T
121Please respect copyright.PENANA4KMOnbGZLQ
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAC9WzTSrTaN
121Please respect copyright.PENANAUP3xkvdU6X
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAxvbaM3r2vj
121Please respect copyright.PENANAWMuvkF5KIl
The call ended.121Please respect copyright.PENANA6wOKAhypCO
121Please respect copyright.PENANAdCeLCWHB7s
Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.121Please respect copyright.PENANAnMgtwgmxOr
121Please respect copyright.PENANADJYt4Xv6h4
Neither of them spoke for a while.121Please respect copyright.PENANAUDL97o6nRq
121Please respect copyright.PENANAbeFMpD9OfH
Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAyDnWqs9TS1
121Please respect copyright.PENANAO1HDGE4qv8
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?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAei6H4LJy0X
121Please respect copyright.PENANA2n6E0lavzp
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAyh9ckbVFyk
121Please respect copyright.PENANAIrzb9PqNB7
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAh85Fh5K2eb
121Please respect copyright.PENANA5X6l4nhnCb
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."121Please respect copyright.PENANA1mSc57OZHX
121Please respect copyright.PENANAisvchHKySA
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."121Please respect copyright.PENANA8sVKcfq3Ij
121Please respect copyright.PENANA429zGtZjOC
"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."121Please respect copyright.PENANAYDZq9zCZMV
121Please respect copyright.PENANAu8SYDv6TZX
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."121Please respect copyright.PENANA1iw6VwbTNV
121Please respect copyright.PENANA0rZsPehXwp
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."121Please respect copyright.PENANAZ4w3rU2vv3
121Please respect copyright.PENANAKTQiySOSup
"Trust me, I know."121Please respect copyright.PENANAeh9Lek2Gb4
121Please respect copyright.PENANAkJMdJYTWHm
"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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAzjBxF3fxJC
121Please respect copyright.PENANAEiPeEm3RnM
Ayub gave him a flat look.121Please respect copyright.PENANABusz0fqqGh
121Please respect copyright.PENANATiFdcQrKm0
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.121Please respect copyright.PENANAQZQkWaD6rz
121Please respect copyright.PENANAuC2Yz5RMjE
"She’s nice. Not for me."121Please respect copyright.PENANAYBXYnoGpBW
121Please respect copyright.PENANABw9LOqvWo2
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."121Please respect copyright.PENANA3Ggxv1glXj
121Please respect copyright.PENANAH7i5vENUX4
Ayub said nothing.121Please respect copyright.PENANA1QCuNIKkZ8
121Please respect copyright.PENANA59MQvXq6pR
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.121Please respect copyright.PENANA5SIkuFFYIX
121Please respect copyright.PENANACuY6y6nEaM
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAFVfKZleHtj
121Please respect copyright.PENANA4gKPTRQzbr
"What?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAIrvbVkPYYm
121Please respect copyright.PENANAHbhaSJ2Egv
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAyLAIU532Jd
121Please respect copyright.PENANADv9i28C8uC
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.121Please respect copyright.PENANA3RBRxcsZEV
121Please respect copyright.PENANAjb5t7YR74u
He didn’t answer.121Please respect copyright.PENANANmxAWWxeo1
121Please respect copyright.PENANAqiQBScDpFT
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.121Please respect copyright.PENANAprXyKv4Kts
121Please respect copyright.PENANAWKi5omZBIR
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."121Please respect copyright.PENANA6ga7hjBYkw
121Please respect copyright.PENANAwf4A03Et2Z
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. 121Please respect copyright.PENANAnyDOilwV6E
121Please respect copyright.PENANAcfC70WiqOM
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.121Please respect copyright.PENANAVKM0q6dC9N
121Please respect copyright.PENANA3c0LJWRcIt
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."121Please respect copyright.PENANAnF9aCQqtrf
121Please respect copyright.PENANAuRfI5geU0l
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."121Please respect copyright.PENANABmZhwbNhVR
121Please respect copyright.PENANAK9Y4478DXM
"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?"121Please respect copyright.PENANAeAgrjJlle4
121Please respect copyright.PENANAA8GT2ru2ks
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."121Please respect copyright.PENANAK3ayXbwOku
121Please respect copyright.PENANATDNKWlrBPT
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."121Please respect copyright.PENANAsd8H3CgVeV
121Please respect copyright.PENANA6JYk2yw6ps
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."121Please respect copyright.PENANAMEAN4fQAxM
121Please respect copyright.PENANAdGA6faiSXZ
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."121Please respect copyright.PENANAMKbuKhtKqc
121Please respect copyright.PENANA7K8JCpL8av
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANA2imJRJh6GV
121Please respect copyright.PENANAJQumhowbfs
It didn’t look like much.121Please respect copyright.PENANAxhC6Egf4iz
121Please respect copyright.PENANATQqbUgs3eb
But it would.121Please respect copyright.PENANAwQJtA9gOLA
121Please respect copyright.PENANA4YouhMORsm
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANA1CtRnIvpeF
121Please respect copyright.PENANA64LvgkRtPE
The caller ID lit up.121Please respect copyright.PENANA9YkLrycXxj
121Please respect copyright.PENANAZhLA1RtgdM
Adil.121Please respect copyright.PENANAycs6sJW89C
121Please respect copyright.PENANAdXnkJfJxvK
Both men groaned in unison.121Please respect copyright.PENANAruV7cjmZT1
121Please respect copyright.PENANAu4Hb0itWxU
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 121Please respect copyright.PENANAGSublTQ134
121Please respect copyright.PENANAsDPnNsqRI0
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.121Please respect copyright.PENANAv1UsKwBKPS
121Please respect copyright.PENANAo5ky1m2yux
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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAWYBNXYMINj
121Please respect copyright.PENANAUg0RqlqGy3
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.121Please respect copyright.PENANAq4T6NL2KtW
121Please respect copyright.PENANAxLOfsVRYrN
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.121Please respect copyright.PENANABHfXK1B1Ej
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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. 121Please respect copyright.PENANABpy9OmvHHc
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.121Please respect copyright.PENANAOhuulLwa0X
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She wasn’t interested.121Please respect copyright.PENANA6VSL04d26H
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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.121Please respect copyright.PENANAoZx0UfdSck
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He jabbed the speaker icon.121Please respect copyright.PENANAN8rVIwi1nM
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.121Please respect copyright.PENANAamh9a8lTcX
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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?”121Please respect copyright.PENANA9khIFkT2R6
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.121Please respect copyright.PENANANipMx6xiEf
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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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANA7vgEuDhBVV
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAINuPDKqpzn
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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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANA0VFyuJB2kD
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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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAy54elKw4o3
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There was a pause on the line.121Please respect copyright.PENANAj62iI7ywMM
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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.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAfmwIupCwC7
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”121Please respect copyright.PENANABIXfhy7zvH
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”121Please respect copyright.PENANAKnb9Uuiw5i
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The call ended.121Please respect copyright.PENANATKSokCfUoA
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.121Please respect copyright.PENANAdiZkJJtZ8F
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Neither of them spoke for a while.121Please respect copyright.PENANAsBTfiaUF89
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”121Please respect copyright.PENANABqVVvPfJre
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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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