"What the hell was that?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAODAciiko1Z
107Please respect copyright.PENANABYrREjkHkM
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAcwtBM6669d
107Please respect copyright.PENANAzVHUz61SLu
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAmtJMr7fmtF
107Please respect copyright.PENANAR5BHIHnZDC
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."107Please respect copyright.PENANAp5FvrfQYPz
107Please respect copyright.PENANAAeW63u4UKQ
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."107Please respect copyright.PENANALK0xOpW5fM
107Please respect copyright.PENANAUqnC8sZNFU
"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."107Please respect copyright.PENANAgTMdHhMbac
107Please respect copyright.PENANA5VRkawj7lt
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."107Please respect copyright.PENANA16DUCoPu6z
107Please respect copyright.PENANAZ9lnrHB43q
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."107Please respect copyright.PENANAblhWr4GsoZ
107Please respect copyright.PENANA42SRmIgqTL
"Trust me, I know."107Please respect copyright.PENANAO8h3iVoH4z
107Please respect copyright.PENANA4ONRsP5B1S
"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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAWXhEP6Dt5B
107Please respect copyright.PENANAT4ouDRdu3r
Ayub gave him a flat look.107Please respect copyright.PENANAnJh6kbU1XS
107Please respect copyright.PENANAUdKutwda0c
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.107Please respect copyright.PENANAWAlSUYYA8H
107Please respect copyright.PENANASYOo7pJFnD
"She’s nice. Not for me."107Please respect copyright.PENANAMycLUkQCYV
107Please respect copyright.PENANA4iSPfMiWJ0
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."107Please respect copyright.PENANA3yxBuMGMaN
107Please respect copyright.PENANAwBXsUsdgW8
Ayub said nothing.107Please respect copyright.PENANA644uMClXfL
107Please respect copyright.PENANAJAyI4y9SOZ
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.107Please respect copyright.PENANAvUyQdDT5wZ
107Please respect copyright.PENANAKRwLRxL3pN
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"107Please respect copyright.PENANA8yaGNfd9Mg
107Please respect copyright.PENANA90yGfoUAEZ
"What?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAuEhiaD6UUX
107Please respect copyright.PENANAT7ODlUz7nW
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"107Please respect copyright.PENANADkZgdi6Feu
107Please respect copyright.PENANAn4hxrTj93I
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.107Please respect copyright.PENANAOhwE0azzs9
107Please respect copyright.PENANATs270S6Om2
He didn’t answer.107Please respect copyright.PENANAkcO7U2stJg
107Please respect copyright.PENANANd931WosUM
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.107Please respect copyright.PENANAxRNRCvm2kV
107Please respect copyright.PENANABDfvRaBB0L
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."107Please respect copyright.PENANAAsmOea8QOc
107Please respect copyright.PENANARjtuWTCYAP
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. 107Please respect copyright.PENANAJHnvPFrYhc
107Please respect copyright.PENANAaZIRnEO3IZ
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.107Please respect copyright.PENANA72Zk9Qyj4c
107Please respect copyright.PENANAcdR5QAtIbM
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."107Please respect copyright.PENANAmTsmGhGq7z
107Please respect copyright.PENANAq3yXDphFmQ
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."107Please respect copyright.PENANA5Amf6cZtXB
107Please respect copyright.PENANAksGW1gWlQU
"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?"107Please respect copyright.PENANApXhTIuftZK
107Please respect copyright.PENANAfzX6dsazdJ
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."107Please respect copyright.PENANATIWeYdFRq4
107Please respect copyright.PENANAh1eGpayfQT
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."107Please respect copyright.PENANAfNOng9uhKp
107Please respect copyright.PENANAB7Yx1zZc0k
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."107Please respect copyright.PENANAOo6dRWd1eK
107Please respect copyright.PENANANCfkP5hGnK
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."107Please respect copyright.PENANAXjaIdPkqCZ
107Please respect copyright.PENANAleNQ727PSB
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANACQyXifOUZo
107Please respect copyright.PENANAs4VwUnKQcF
It didn’t look like much.107Please respect copyright.PENANAelVMHXSM4A
107Please respect copyright.PENANAbDjzb55Y3K
But it would.107Please respect copyright.PENANAei0WgjS39h
107Please respect copyright.PENANAIEyuCjUviU
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANANSHoRvvQZk
107Please respect copyright.PENANAKCy68SdsoY
The caller ID lit up.107Please respect copyright.PENANA5y4f0MX5PK
107Please respect copyright.PENANARtpiIQU1Uo
Adil.107Please respect copyright.PENANAkWcWY9braG
107Please respect copyright.PENANABpdaqI2CQg
Both men groaned in unison.107Please respect copyright.PENANAVHR5LDIOFU
107Please respect copyright.PENANASFBzlhnwaB
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 107Please respect copyright.PENANAskur4trsoE
107Please respect copyright.PENANAsVkyfqO5ct
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.107Please respect copyright.PENANAiJg0PHYwtx
107Please respect copyright.PENANAZ73cFT6BI4
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAMc4iwVbl5c
107Please respect copyright.PENANAEv4BQEGKMb
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.107Please respect copyright.PENANAq3lVtvnIVI
107Please respect copyright.PENANAYGvAbcAK7a
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.107Please respect copyright.PENANAVkC8YfaeB0
107Please respect copyright.PENANASLuTWG8hXv
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. 107Please respect copyright.PENANAtIDkxreIBO
107Please respect copyright.PENANAIXE7rbcS8S
Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.107Please respect copyright.PENANAZbmnexhhOb
107Please respect copyright.PENANAYJWmQxEDjY
She wasn’t interested.107Please respect copyright.PENANATX1wvsYQlD
107Please respect copyright.PENANAciLRrOn93E
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANARe8p2Ggx8U
107Please respect copyright.PENANAH0USjgpwo1
He jabbed the speaker icon.107Please respect copyright.PENANAwXQncSkyFv
107Please respect copyright.PENANAMq97lVI1z5
“Adil,” he said, voice flat.107Please respect copyright.PENANA7icp12JVl5
107Please respect copyright.PENANAeIjufc8ltZ
“Imran!” Adil’s voice poured through the car, smooth and smug as ever. “Still hiding from society in dusty construction zones?”107Please respect copyright.PENANALGZb22iJ2g
107Please respect copyright.PENANAGP32KWtdXT
Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.107Please respect copyright.PENANA6ebCnHNCVa
107Please respect copyright.PENANAai2AmjyWuV
“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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAbHnVaFPCvA
107Please respect copyright.PENANAYZEQh5Vmnh
Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAmVvmvhRyWa
107Please respect copyright.PENANAxOKeL2WKRq
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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAWXFNYR0QXD
107Please respect copyright.PENANAcOV91Bc9gj
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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAdAx3f7lHjj
107Please respect copyright.PENANAE4x5FEzYFt
There was a pause on the line.107Please respect copyright.PENANAcP7JJUOra2
107Please respect copyright.PENANA1qGEZ5hcu6
“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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANA6cibLPDuyS
107Please respect copyright.PENANAxY3YPmXmyq
Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAQIquh436dj
107Please respect copyright.PENANAmn0CCfgOvZ
“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAmgLXcFMzOn
107Please respect copyright.PENANARnJaTCIIIq
The call ended.107Please respect copyright.PENANA6Y1icS0AVz
107Please respect copyright.PENANAfMD4xSOWbo
Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.107Please respect copyright.PENANAsxAe0F3ezk
107Please respect copyright.PENANAbmTcwx2dM2
Neither of them spoke for a while.107Please respect copyright.PENANA4LsmQ1IDAx
107Please respect copyright.PENANAexkybxQind
Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAMUCPPNVxWm
107Please respect copyright.PENANAcSL3UKcMLk
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?"107Please respect copyright.PENANA3whhwlkxQg
107Please respect copyright.PENANAz0luAqVgQI
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAD4CdihMdRj
107Please respect copyright.PENANAksvTIs7MM8
Ayub sighed. "What was what?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAFPw3j8PHLn
107Please respect copyright.PENANAFIQtMdByGc
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."107Please respect copyright.PENANAowvNEzyCtm
107Please respect copyright.PENANAFKubRWyr2J
Ayub kept walking toward the elevator. "She pushed. I responded."107Please respect copyright.PENANAOFRXzxB7ho
107Please respect copyright.PENANASX105Veonw
"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."107Please respect copyright.PENANARZE89cE74d
107Please respect copyright.PENANAmp4ZrY4c0X
Ayub rubbed the back of his neck. "She was messing with me the whole meeting. It was... a lot."107Please respect copyright.PENANAEtjOmOvn3q
107Please respect copyright.PENANAaVVT7VTk6F
Imran hit the elevator button, still grinning. "She put you with Jasmina. That was the ultimate middle finger."107Please respect copyright.PENANAt01GVB9yQF
107Please respect copyright.PENANA5Rry6ILjvc
"Trust me, I know."107Please respect copyright.PENANAt2tKunhGsp
107Please respect copyright.PENANAVzgNQeWN5G
"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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAc8uK0TBaKo
107Please respect copyright.PENANABOYbqBo5vg
Ayub gave him a flat look.107Please respect copyright.PENANAJpASqbMzfA
107Please respect copyright.PENANAszocVVRo4I
"You don’t like her?" Imran asked.107Please respect copyright.PENANAbmyiOqfBOz
107Please respect copyright.PENANAUaciBo8X8r
"She’s nice. Not for me."107Please respect copyright.PENANA7YuPCIbwKU
107Please respect copyright.PENANABG46OuKrUI
Imran raised a brow. "Because she’s not Lamija."107Please respect copyright.PENANA8eAtfe6M4c
107Please respect copyright.PENANAFPsp6X50mi
Ayub said nothing.107Please respect copyright.PENANAOHLZ0KNNy8
107Please respect copyright.PENANA8xXlKbZpLd
The elevator doors opened. They stepped in. The silence stretched.107Please respect copyright.PENANArTcHDNZuSq
107Please respect copyright.PENANAthGG0Ev747
Imran looked at him sideways. "So what is this then?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAI85C3vKkI7
107Please respect copyright.PENANAHLqz7Gly6w
"What?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAzam8odPnwR
107Please respect copyright.PENANA49xLUafcyb
"Are you... hoping for something now? With her?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAsqWwxU9yEg
107Please respect copyright.PENANAa6X3uoOR1Q
Ayub stared straight ahead, the numbers lighting up one by one above the doors.107Please respect copyright.PENANA6U1nznYGOS
107Please respect copyright.PENANA8RQoUlGX59
He didn’t answer.107Please respect copyright.PENANAQdlggrUJ97
107Please respect copyright.PENANAkPxEEVyd5b
But the tightness in his jaw said enough.107Please respect copyright.PENANASBiWHVSw4z
107Please respect copyright.PENANAN4UXXIZNlr
Imran nodded slowly. "Man. You’re really in it now."107Please respect copyright.PENANAZ55yRYZqTW
107Please respect copyright.PENANAUfIx5goHEi
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. 107Please respect copyright.PENANABiZ01EvVDa
107Please respect copyright.PENANALrwH8apv1n
"Where are we going?" Ayub asked.107Please respect copyright.PENANAjQVMsLPk9i
107Please respect copyright.PENANAuSUaJiBRny
Imran smirked. "To see a site I’m working on. New project. Off the company books, more personal."107Please respect copyright.PENANA99qp860QXc
107Please respect copyright.PENANABGZQpvcmnp
Ayub raised a brow. "You’re not usually one for side ventures."107Please respect copyright.PENANAo2npIJfQAO
107Please respect copyright.PENANA7HFAUrM1Qr
"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?"107Please respect copyright.PENANAcZGyXUdfkq
107Please respect copyright.PENANAbL6zAjjXTN
Imran nodded. "Yeah. I haven’t told him yet. He thinks I’m moving him to northern logistics."107Please respect copyright.PENANATPEhX93L2o
107Please respect copyright.PENANAWTardXwnL2
Ayub let out a low laugh. "He’s going to think you’ve lost your mind."107Please respect copyright.PENANAqwSPRdWiGR
107Please respect copyright.PENANA61I1832vAp
"Maybe. But he’s ready. He just doesn’t know it yet."107Please respect copyright.PENANAUtssbwmPBn
107Please respect copyright.PENANAWp07Ybuk1M
Ayub hesitated, glancing toward the building. "You sure? Talha looks one bad day away from a lawsuit half the time. He’s intense."107Please respect copyright.PENANAHUbyn6bxY6
107Please respect copyright.PENANAPykpgn2mex
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAyWRga7f5Ge
107Please respect copyright.PENANAZEraUx84It
It didn’t look like much.107Please respect copyright.PENANAjsO7gRfkTM
107Please respect copyright.PENANAeCNzZ3b0TA
But it would.107Please respect copyright.PENANAcC1UK3nMST
107Please respect copyright.PENANAVmSfJYO7CA
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANA5sZDI7IsTK
107Please respect copyright.PENANAozRbluHLUR
The caller ID lit up.107Please respect copyright.PENANA3sWU9f5nC8
107Please respect copyright.PENANAXZv7sJMbFe
Adil.107Please respect copyright.PENANAYGmd60JAG4
107Please respect copyright.PENANAHsnfFGqsrf
Both men groaned in unison.107Please respect copyright.PENANAPR5rCPk4jz
107Please respect copyright.PENANARsmaSLUC9c
"Why is it always him?" Ayub muttered. 107Please respect copyright.PENANA0guJb6X6jl
107Please respect copyright.PENANA9h8o8w6QVC
Imran didn’t answer right away. His jaw had already locked.107Please respect copyright.PENANAxdCyuHdOuC
107Please respect copyright.PENANAkKvOVo8VKM
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.107Please respect copyright.PENANAhSa21GO8lT
107Please respect copyright.PENANAcU5mPtGvS1
Nedim marries Lamija. Their logistics company folds into Begović Industries. The families become one on paper.107Please respect copyright.PENANAHysM67pVWk
107Please respect copyright.PENANAkC7LmFWpV8
Ayub’s stomach turned every time he thought about it.107Please respect copyright.PENANAkL0gX4M2cC
107Please respect copyright.PENANAcYXlCEt3xw
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. 107Please respect copyright.PENANAtkYFbRidrJ
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Lamija had turned Nedim down in every language they shared—blunt, cold, unmoved.107Please respect copyright.PENANAQeyukTMBKK
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She wasn’t interested.107Please respect copyright.PENANAlS8eQk85ub
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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.107Please respect copyright.PENANA3FEvZcZVPu
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He jabbed the speaker icon.107Please respect copyright.PENANAIdWNUjlBNe
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“Adil,” he said, voice flat.107Please respect copyright.PENANAKYkV5HCuRE
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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?”107Please respect copyright.PENANAw6RMSAepxZ
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Imran didn’t answer. Ayub stayed silent.107Please respect copyright.PENANA6y9HXQw7iH
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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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAMSgqlnY7f7
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Imran’s expression didn’t shift. “Already got it.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAzcL48y1tIh
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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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANALQ5WFFcOjm
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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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAh85EBOPTCH
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There was a pause on the line.107Please respect copyright.PENANAwTSU0ZjneX
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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.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAnHpVN6uQSk
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Adil gave a short, uneasy laugh. “Alright, alright. No offense meant.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAaZVILOJVjF
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“Then stop acting like this is business,” Imran snapped. “She’s not part of your portfolio.”107Please respect copyright.PENANAIh1pSGHtkM
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The call ended.107Please respect copyright.PENANABy3VMNum4H
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Imran tapped the screen off and stared ahead, jaw tight.107Please respect copyright.PENANA5asWEpi8vS
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Neither of them spoke for a while.107Please respect copyright.PENANAqNvNeNjyaF
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Then Ayub muttered, “I hate that guy.”107Please respect copyright.PENANA6DDOjrGs2c
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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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