Chapter 165 A Promise Made Must Be Kept

Chapter 165 A Promise Made Must Be Kept
Lukas told her that if he were to have a relationship with that woman, he would take responsibility for her.
She had heard him say with her own ears that the title of Mrs. Müller, the matriarch of the Müller family, could belong to anyone.
Doubt began to stir within her. Had she truly misunderstood him?
Lukas had likely sensed her suspicion. He truly didn’t know what to say to her.
“Go on. Tell me what happened next."
"She said she'd go abroad with you and marry you overseas. You’re not young anymore, and the family is anxious. Before coming to see me, they’d already gone through the engagement formalities. She cares about you and will follow you abroad to start a new company. Also...”
Lia bit her lip.
Lukas lowered his gaze and saw her hands clutching his shirt, tightening with each passing moment.
She looked furious.
"And she's pregnant! She showed me the prenatal exam report!"
Upon hearing this, Lukas was certain that she had indeed been deceived all those years ago.
He freed one hand to rest on his forehead and let out a soft chuckle.
Lia punched his chest. "What's so funny? I'm serious!"
"Did you verify the pregnancy test results and photos?"
"Verify...?"
She froze, then forced out an explanation. "I was only sixteen back then! What did I know? I was still a minor, and you never showed any interest in me. Then, suddenly, your fiancée appeared before me. I had no idea how to handle it.”
"Whatever happened to your usual cocky attitude?"
“What?”
Lukas' eyes twinkled with teasing. "You only act bold around your own people? Can't handle others?"
Lia still didn't get it.
"A few photoshopped pictures and a fake prenatal exam form—that's what fooled you?"
Suddenly, she understood.
"She tricked me?"
"What else?"
Lukas' retort made Lia feel ashamed.
But it wasn't surprising.
She was only sixteen at the time. Considering it was her first time facing something like this, she was lucky she didn't freeze up. That woman must have spent a lot of time planning how to take her down.
She blamed Lukas for never confessing his feelings back then.
How could she explain it?
She was sixteen and he was twenty-seven, an eleven-year age gap.
Though their families were close, Lukas never saw Lia as a newborn or child.
She entered his life when she was eleven or twelve.
From the start, he cherished her like a little sister.
The girl he’d nurtured since childhood was now dating someone else.
How could he accept that?
He used the excuse of starting a new company abroad to distance himself, dismissing the relationship as youthful folly—after all, few first loves last forever.
But he never imagined that someone would exploit the situation and hurt his precious girl behind his back.
Yet Lukas had no regrets.
Had he not spent those years overseas, he might never have discovered Lia's other identity beyond being the Wagner daughter.
He pulled Lia close against his chest, their eyes meeting.
"I didn't have a fiancée. I went abroad alone back then. If I brought anyone with me, it was only Moritz.”
Lia lifted her eyes to meet his, then quickly lowered them again.
Lukas never lied—not even white lies.
After laying out all those facts right in front of him, if she still didn't understand, she'd truly be a fool.
"You still haven't said what the deal is with Jan."
Lia's lips trembled slightly as she glanced at him, her confidence already dwindling.
In that moment, she resembled a child who had done something wrong.
"Your fiancée came to me..."
"She's not my fiancée."
Before she could finish, Lukas cut her off.
He disliked that woman—someone he barely remembered and hadn't had contact with since that meal—occupying a place in his life for no reason.
Lia bit her lip and snorted softly. “After she contacted me, I tried to find you. But you'd already left the country without telling me your flight time. I was so heartbroken that I ran out into the street and sat down. I wanted to drink, but I feared the headache. I wanted to smoke, but I dreaded the scolding. I wanted to throw myself in front of a car, but I worried about scaring the driver. Anyway..."
A smile gradually spread across Lukas' eyes.
Hmph!
She'd never tell him that back then she was afraid of his scolding and that her mind was filled with thoughts of him.
Then it started pouring. Jan found me. I had a fever, and he took care of me, staying with me for a long time. Back then, a lot of people at school said we were a couple, and he never denied it. Whenever I tried to deny it, he’d change the subject, making everyone think we really were a couple.”
Hearing this, Lukas nearly lost control of his anger.
The girl he’d raised had been lured away by an outsider.
"After that, it just happened..."
Strangely, recalling her time with Lukas—even the details—felt effortless; every memory was crystal clear.
But when it came to Jan...
Who was he, really?
Lia’s hand, clutching the man’s shirt, slowly relaxed. Unconsciously, her fingers drifted to the buttons, tracing them lightly.
She later learned that Jan had initially set his sights on Lena, the most cherished youngest daughter of the Wagner family.
But once he discovered that Lia was truly favored, he shifted his target to her.
After being promoted several times by Xaver, Jan certainly wouldn't let Lia go.
Besides, she obeyed him completely.
But all that would happen much later; it hadn't unfolded in this lifetime yet.
After reincarnating, Lia carried the memories of her past life.
In truth, aside from the misunderstanding about the fiancée, the conflicts between her and Lukas had been self-inflicted and nothing irreconcilable or deeply rooted.
At eighteen, Lukas suddenly returned to the country and took Lia to Stilles Haus without a word.
She resisted, though deep down she didn't truly want to. Then she agreed.
For those two years, Lukas treated her exceptionally well, doting on her just as he had in childhood.
Yet her feelings toward him remained unclear. At the time, she was deeply in love with Jan, which made it impossible for her not to harbor resentment toward Lukas.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through her waist.
Lia immediately grabbed his hand. What was wrong with this man, always pinching her?
"What are you doing?"
She didn't know how long she'd been lost in thought.
"Seems you miss him. Regretting it?"
Lia stared at him. Her lips trembled slightly as she whispered, "I thought... back then, you didn't want me anymore."
Lukas was stunned.
He exhaled softly. "How could I ever abandon you?"
She pressed her lips together, unable to control the tremor in her voice. Her face flushed slightly, revealing a look of hurt.
Lukas immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Lia, I wasn't being mean to you."
Lia grabbed his hands and pulled them back to embrace her. "Did I tell you to let go? Keep holding me."
He didn't know how to react.
"But you just left! You left without a word and came back and arrested me, keeping me under house arrest for two years! You're a jerk!"
Lukas' expression gradually softened.
He had indeed confined her for two years.
Beyond his selfishness, if he hadn't kept watch over her during that time, those people would have found her. She wouldn't have survived.
When he learned of the terrifying forces stalking Lia, panic seized him. He abandoned the overseas branch, weathered billions in losses and family pressure, and returned home.
Back then, he just wanted to find her and protect her.
He’d confronted Xaver personally, confirming his earlier suspicions.
He’d pieced together Lia’s true identity.
But she knew none of this.
Lukas never wanted to frighten her and never uttered a single word about it.
Even now, as she misunderstood and acted out, he coaxed her patiently. “Fine, I'm a bastard. I won't abandon you again.”
"Promises must be kept."
Lia was on the verge of tears. As they welled up, she tore open his collar and bit down hard on his shoulder.