Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



"You..." After a brief silence, Egbert shifted in his seat, intending to speak to Eileen.

But Eileen pressed his arm tighter, not even lifting her head as she said, "Just focus on the play." Egbert fell silent and glanced at the girl on his shoulder, ultimately choosing not to speak.

Half an hour later, the play came to an end. The house lights came up, bright and revealing.

Only then did Eileen release Egbert's arm, standing up nonchalantly.

Just as Egbert was about to speak up, the camera crew approached.

After the play had started, filming had ceased because the theater's policy prohibited any recording devices once the performance was underway. Even though the venue had been rented out by the production team for the day, all cameras had to be turned off once the show began.

Eileen walked past Egbert, and he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Eileen glanced at the cameraman, yanked her hand back forcefully, and headed for the exit.

Egbert watched her leave, not rushing to say anything, and followed her out.

In the lobby, the six guests gathered once again.

The assistant director made a few comments before informing everyone that they could all head home. Egbert immediately looked at Eileen, but she was already striding towards the dressing rooms. "Eileen, why the rush?" Sylvia, with the energy of a sprightly old lady, dashed over and took Eileen's hand. "I'm wearing too much makeup; I just want to take it off as soon as possible," Eileen responded offhandedly. Sylvia turned to look at Eileen's face and suddenly froze. Why was her face as red as a boiled lobster? "What's wrong with you?" Sylvia asked, puzzled.

Eileen kept her gaze forward, her expression stoic. "What would be wrong?"

"Your face is red. Why?" Sylvia persisted.

Eileen touched her face, calmly stating, "Oh, that. It's nothing. Just an increase in adrenal cortical hormone secretion, causing severe vasodilation in the facial capillaries."

Sylvia was baffled.

Eileen didn't want to continue the conversation. She pulled away from Sylvia's grasp and quickly approached the dressing room door, only to find it locked from the inside.

Sylvia tried to push the door open but couldn't. "What's going on here?" she wondered aloud.

The camera man then said, "Your clothes and personal belongings have already been sent home."

Sylvia frowned, asking, "How are we supposed to remove our makeup then?"

"You can do it at home," the camera man suggested.

Sylvia was speechless.

Eileen understood what was going on. She clicked her tongue and said, "Let's go."

Sylvia hurried after her, asking, "What's going on?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? They won't let us remove our makeup or change our clothes. This means that the show isn't over yet," Eileen explained.

Sylvia was stunned for a moment, but by the time she snapped out of it, Eileen was already far ahead. She quickly followed.

When the three female guests returned to the lobby, they found that the three male guests were also there, unsurprisingly still in makeup. Calvert let out a sigh. "Let's go then. Are we leaving together or separately?"

Hobson stroked his chin. "If we leave together, it'll look like a retirement club outing."

The others were speechless.

Egbert then said, "Separately." As he spoke, he glanced at Eileen across the room. He walked over to her and took her hand.

Eileen looked at him but didn't struggle this time.

Calvert announced, "We'll go separately then. The crew probably wants us to split up. We'll head out first."

With that, he took Aurora by the arm and led her away.

Hobson and Sylvia also departed together.

Once the lobby quieted down, Egbert was still holding Eileen's hand.

A cameraman, with a tiny hidden camera, followed them closely.

Egbert asked, "Shall we?"

Eileen responded by simply heading towards the exit.

The city streets were bustling with traffic and people in the early evening.

Egbert held Eileen's hand tightly. He had a lot he wanted to say to her, but with the cameraman there, he had to hold his tongue.

Eileen spoke up. "They're not going to make us walk home, are they?"

Egbert pulled a wallet out of his pocket.

This wallet had been given to the male guests by the staff, containing some cash and a couple of bus passes.

Eileen's eyes lit up when she saw the wallet, reaching out for it.novelbin

Egbert handed it over to her.

She opened it, inspected the contents, and criticized, "This isn't enough for a cab. Let's take the bus."

With that, she pocketed the wallet.

Egbert watched her put the wallet away and just smiled wryly.

They arrived at the nearest bus station, which was crowded. Eileen studied the route map under the sign. She looked for a while but couldn't figure out which bus they needed to take.

She turned to Egbert and asked, "Is there a bus stop near our place?"

Egbert thought for a moment. "There's a subway station."

Eileen frowned. She usually drove and hadn't paid attention to the public transportation near their little cottage.

"Ma'am, where do you need to go?" a student-like girl approached and asked.

Startled, Eileen turned to the girl, realizing she was being addressed. She coughed, glanced at Egbert, and in a lowered voice said, "Cherry Blossom Drive."

The girl quickly looked it up on her phone and asked, "Cherry Blossom Drive in Sundance Valley?"

She turned her phone to show Eileen.

Eileen recognized a farmer's market she frequented and confirmed, "That's the one."

The girl explained that there was no direct bus, and they would need to take the subway, detailing the transfer process and which line to catch. Just then, a bus rolled up.

The young student bustled over with urgency in her voice, "This is the bus you need! I ride this one too. Gramps and Granny, hop on this one, and get off at the fifth stop. You'll be right at the subway station."

As she spoke, she gently but firmly guided Eileen onto the bus which was relatively empty.

Eileen found a seat and settled down, with Egbert sitting beside her.

The helpful student took the seat in front of them and turned around, pointing to the route map above. "Grandpa and Grandma," she reminded, "it's this stop coming up. Once you get off, you'll be at the subway station."

Touched by her kindness, Eileen smiled and said, "Thank you, dear."

The student waved off the thanks. "It's nothing, really. It's just that you two remind me of my favorite movie stars, like, a lot, so I couldn't help but say something."

Her curiosity piqued, Eileen puffed up with pride. "Your favorite movie stars? Who might that be?"

The student replied simply, "Egbert."

Eileen paused before pressing on, "And who else?"

The student looked at her with twinkling eyes and said, "That's it, no one else."

Eileen was at a loss for words.

The girl then gave Egbert a once-over and asked, "Gramps, you must have been quite the heartthrob back in your day, huh?"

Egbert chuckled softly and glanced at Eileen, "I'm not sure. What do you think, dear?"

The girl eagerly awaited Eileen's response, but Eileen was feeling irritable. She frowned and said bluntly, "Handsome? Not at all! He was downright

ugly!"

Egbert couldn't help but laugh at her blunt honesty.

The student, however, studied Eileen more seriously and then whispered to herself, "Looks like Eileen, acts like Eileen... I guess the rumors are true, women with that kind of face are indeed fierce and violent."