Chapter 163

The atmosphere in the room was deathly silent. Mother and son were completely at odds, without a shred of warmth.

Jean looked at Neville's unyielding attitude. The last trace of restraint in her eyes was completely exhausted. She stopped trying to persuade him and directly played her cruelest card.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Will you or won't you get engaged to Grace?"

Neville supported his dizzy, weakened body. His eyes were as hard and cold as iron, without the slightest compromise. "Impossible. In this lifetime, I'll only marry Jasmine."

That firm answer completely blocked any possibility of reconciliation.

Jean laughed coldly, striking at his weak point. "Fine. Since you insist on being so stubborn, don't blame your mother for being heartless."

"If you won't voluntarily get engaged, I'll make a public announcement claiming you suddenly developed a stubborn illness. You're in poor health and need long-term hospitalization and rest. You're temporarily unable to perform your duties or make public appearances."

Neville's gaze instantly darkened. A flash of hostility crossed his eyes. "You dare?"

"What wouldn't I dare?" Jean pressed forward step by step, her tone resolute, completely unrestrained. "I'm your mother. I have the right to speak publicly on your behalf and explain all your whereabouts. As long as I release the news and block all your channels to the outside world, everyone will believe it."

"Then, I'll represent you with full authority. In my capacity as your immediate family member, I'll make all public statements on your behalf. You'll be under house arrest here—unable to move, unable to speak. Even if you're completely unwilling, you'll have no way to stop it."

This threat precisely squeezed all of Neville's vital pressure points. Jean knew his weaknesses too well and knew best how to manipulate him.

Coldness surged in Neville's eyes. His heart was instantly weighed down by a thousand pounds.

He wasn't afraid of damage to his own reputation or outside rumors. But he was solely afraid of this matter reaching Jasmine's ears and causing her to misunderstand and overthink.

He'd made countless promises to Jasmine recently, giving her a full sense of security. If he suddenly disappeared now, combined with Jean deliberately spreading rumors of illness and subsequent engagement publicity, Jasmine would surely believe it all—thinking his previous tenderness had all been false, that he'd been deceiving her feelings from beginning to end.

What made him even more wary was that Jasmine was currently at the hospital, already emotionally low because of the obstacles in Louisa's case. Once hit by this news, it would surely completely shatter her psychological defenses.

After a long standoff, the sharpness in Neville's eyes extinguished inch by inch. All his unwillingness and frustration were pressed deep in his heart. His voice was hoarse and low. "I agree."

Jean's tense nerves suddenly relaxed. A triumphant smile finally appeared on her face. "Nev, I'm doing this for your own good. Don't worry."

Neville closed his eyes, unwilling to look at her even once more.

Having achieved her goal, Jean didn't linger. She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed Grace first thing. "Grace, it's done. Nev has agreed to the engagement."

On the other end of the line, Grace was overjoyed. The anxiety and unease that had weighed on her heart for days completely dissipated.

The opportunity she'd been waiting for day and night was finally in her hands. She didn't want to wait even a second. After hanging up, she immediately mobilized all her connections, contacting major media outlets and entertainment and financial news platforms, widely publicizing the engagement news between herself and Neville.

In less than half an hour, the hashtag #PrimeUniverse CEO Neville and Lane Group Head Grace Announce Engagement quickly dominated trending lists across all platforms, flooding the entire internet with explosive popularity.

On the other side, at the hospital, Jasmine had been keeping watch outside the ICU, her heart heavy with worry about Louisa's case and injuries. Having nothing else to do, she opened her phone and casually browsed the news. The next second, a blazingly popular trending topic leaped into view.

The glaring headline, wall-to-wall official announcements, carefully synthesized AI-generated couple photos—all instantly filled her entire screen.

Jasmine's fingertips suddenly froze. The blood in her entire body seemed to freeze instantly. Her mind went blank.

She couldn't believe her eyes. She refreshed the page repeatedly, but all the news content was highly uniform. Without exception, all of it was about Neville and Grace's upcoming engagement.

Enormous panic and unease swept through her entire body. Without time to think, she immediately dialed Neville's number, wanting to verify in person, wanting an explanation.

But the receiver repeatedly transmitted a cold, mechanical prompt: The number you have dialed is temporarily unreachable.

Once, twice, three times—without exception, all were unreachable.

Jasmine's heart grew more and more panicked. She completely lost her composure. She immediately called Drake, her tone carrying barely concealed trembling and urgency. "Drake, where's Neville? Where is he? What's going on with the news online about him and Grace getting engaged?"

Drake on the other end was full of helplessness and anxiety. "Ms. Hale, I can't find Mr. Cooper. He's been completely out of contact for forty-eight hours."

Jasmine's pupils contracted sharply. Her voice trembled. "Out of contact? Forty-eight hours? Why didn't you call the police?"

"I tried." Drake's tone was full of powerlessness. "After I noticed Mr. Cooper had disappeared, I immediately prepared to file a missing person's report. But Mrs. Cooper personally stopped me. She explicitly told me that Mr. Cooper has private matters to handle and doesn't need outsiders interfering. During this period, she'll represent Mr. Cooper with full authority in all external communications. She said this is Cooper family business and warned me—an outsider—not to interfere or call the police."

Those few sentences completely shattered the last bit of hope in Jasmine's heart.

Jasmine's fingertips holding the phone trembled slightly. Her chest felt like it was being pressed by a huge stone—suffocatingly painful, so much so she could barely breathe.

Just a while ago, Neville had been by her side day and night, never leaving her, tenderly caring for her, sweet-talking her, accommodating her in every way, doing everything in his power to protect her.

That tenderness, that favoritism, those firm vows—all were still clearly branded in her heart, warm and real.

But in the blink of an eye, he'd vanished into thin air, been out of contact for days, without a word of explanation or account. He'd turned around and publicly announced his engagement to Grace, dominating trending topics across the internet.

The extreme contrast viciously wounded Jasmine's sincere heart.

The enormous gap and sense of betrayal instantly completely submerged her.

She couldn't tell if what she felt was anger, grievance, or heartbreak.

She only felt like a complete and utter joke—like a stray animal someone had casually discarded. After being coaxed into joy and giving her whole heart, she was quietly abandoned without even a proper goodbye.

Neville had disappeared without the slightest warning, allowing the entire internet to publicize his joyous news with Grace, leaving her alone at the hospital facing the unconscious Louisa and a pile of unsolved conspiracies, panicking by herself.

All the grievances, unwillingness, and resentment accumulated in her heart completely exploded at this moment.

Jasmine could no longer hold back the emotions she'd suppressed for days. Looking at Louisa in the ICU showing no signs of waking, all her strength instantly collapsed.

She slowly crouched down, leaning against the cold corridor wall, her shoulders shaking violently. The sobs she'd suppressed for days finally spilled out uncontrollably.