Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Eileen nearly knocked Egbert's head off!

She shoved him, and said to Ophelia on the other end, "What in the world are you on about?"

Ophelia paused, then asked, "Aren't you two an item already?"

Eileen shot Egbert, who was lounging nearby, a glare and ground out, "Nope!"

Ophelia sounded uncertain, "Really? You are not kidding?"

Eileen bellowed, "No! No! No!"

Ophelia seemed incredulous, "You're not just pulling my leg to cheer me up?"

Egbert was speechless, and so was Eileen. She flopped onto the couch and said, "Is this seriously why you called? Just to ask me this?"

After a moment of silence, Ophelia said, "What else? The inte's going bananas over you guys! But if you're not together, that couple profile pic must be fake, huh? What's the deal with your producer, faking photos for the ratings? That's just low!"

Eileen hesitated, not daring to admit that the photo wasn't exactly a sham; she and Egbert did share a couple's profile pic. She dodged the question, "Yeah, the producer's no saint, that's for sure!"

Ophelia ranted about the producer for a bit, then said, “Alright, if it's nothing, let's leave it at that. I'll get the paid posters to steer the narrative. By the way, there's nothing too intimate between you and Egbert in the show, right?"

Eileen remained silent.

Ophelia went on, "If there's no intimate stuff, I can spin it as purely professional."

Scratching her cheek, Eileen sheepishly admitted, "Well, there might have been some... directed by the crew."

Ophelia pressed, "Nothing too over the top, right? That we can't spin?"

Eileen chewed on her lip, then suddenly blurted out, "Ophelia, oh no! The crew's signaling me, can't make personal calls during recording. Gotta hang up!"

With that, she hung up the phone and even blocked Ophelia!

After all was said and done, Eileen breathed a sigh of relief and said to Egbert, "Lucky I'm quick on my feet, or I'd have caught an earful again." Egbert didn't reply, just sat down next to her and took her hand, saying, "This sneaking around isn't working. Let's go public."

Eileen silently looked at Egbert, and Egbert returned her gaze.

After a moment of silent eye contact, Egbert raised an eyebrow and asked, "Not gonna hit me?"

Eileen pulled her hand back and pouted, "Forget it. Your skin's too thick; I'm tired of hitting it."

Egbert shook his head helplessly.

They spent the next day resting at home.

On the third day, the final task card was delivered.

This card represented the last challenge of the show, Romantic Revelations, which had a total recording time of twenty days.

In those twenty days, three simulated couples got hitched, hosted friends and family, went on exotic honeymoons, played house with kids, snapped wedding photos, and experienced about eighty percent of what normal married folks go through.

But the nature of this final task remained a mystery, as the producers had kept it under wraps.

The next day, at one in the afternoon, the six participants were gathered at the front of a rented-out grand theater.

There, Eileen saw Aurora again.

Aurora had been laying low lately. Even as a neighbor, Eileen hadn't seen her around, and one might have thought she'd dropped out of the show. But of course, she hadn't. The producers had spent a hefty sum to get Aurora on board, and they weren't about to let her go without a fight. And Aurora herself wouldn't leave, not with the astronomical breach of contract fee hanging over her head.

Today, Aurora was dressed down, no designer labels in sight, just simple jeans and a jacket, her face half-hidden behind oversized sunglasses. Eileen guessed she was too embarrassed to show her face.

Aurora didn't greet anyone, and nobody approached her. Calvert, on the other hand, came over and chatted with the others until the assistant director called everyone to attention.

The assistant director delivered a bit of a preamble, basically saying that after tomorrow, filming would wrap up. He mentioned how much he enjoyed working with everyone and how hard it would be to part ways.

Hobson smiled and lamented, "Time flies. It feels like we just started yesterday, and now, suddenly, it's the last day."

"The last day is tomorrow, not today," the assistant director corrected him.

Hobson was awkward at his response.

After a bit more rambling, the assistant director announced, "The final task isn't really a task at all. It's a precious gift from our director to the six of you."

Everyone looked puzzled. At that moment, Eileen raised an eyebrow, "Precious? As in cash?"

The assistant director didn't know what to say.novelbin

Glaring at her, he retorted, "Is there anything in your head besides money?"

Eileen pondered for a second, "Fine jewelry? Electronics? Stocks and bonds?"

"Men to the right, ladies to the left!" The assistant director cut her off, urging them to skedaddle!

The participants were split up, and Eileen was ushered into a private makeup room in the theater. Inside, a bevy of makeup artists and stylists were waiting for them.

The three female participants took their seats, and the staff began to remove their makeup.

Yes, they had to strip down before getting made up anew.

Sylvia, curious, speculated, "We're not getting stage makeup, are we? They're not going to make us perform, right? I've never done theater before." The makeup artists didn't respond; they just focused on their work.

The makeup session was lengthy.

Sylvia chattered away excitedly at first, but half an hour in, she began to feel weary and bored.

She glanced at Aurora and Eileen.

Aurora was engrossed in her phone, and Eileen had dozed off long ago, even drooling a little!

Two hours later, their makeup was finally complete.

When Eileen was roused, she stretched languorously, then looked in the mirror opposite her.

Eileen was rooted to the spot as she gazed into the mirror. It was her reflection staring back at her, but it was as if she were looking at a stranger.

Creases etched her face, her hair a snowy white, and Eileen was momentarily lost for words.

Beside her, Sylvia and Aurora were waking up to the same reality.

Aurora was visibly stunned, "What on earth...?"

Sylvia was beyond words, just muttering a string of "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap..."

Eileen stood up from the chair, feeling out of place in her youthful attire. The clothes were the same, but her face now bore the marks of someone in their sixties or seventies.

Age spots, crow's feet, laugh lines, bags under the eyes, and the tell-tale sagging skin.

Looking into the mirror, Eileen's eyes widened as the image of her grandmother flashed through her mind.

Just then, the stylist came over with a set of clothes for them to change into.

After they changed and put in contacts that gave their eyes a slightly clouded look, the three glamorous starlets from just two hours ago had transformed into weary, aged women.

One of the crew members quipped, "I wonder if your 'husbands' would even recognize you now?"