Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Egbert's deep eyes deepened as he gazed at Eileen Lopez. Even though he was prepared for her answer, hearing it again made his heart race uncontrollably.

He swallowed hard, pulling Eileen closer by the waist. He leaned in, his thin lips inching toward hers. The next second, Eileen's hand covered Egbert Reed's mouth.

Egbert blinked in surprise.

Frowning, Eileen asked, "What do you think you're doing?"

Muffled by her hand, he couldn't speak, so he just raised an eyebrow, his intention clear without words.

Eileen pushed his face away with a scoff, "You think there's no trial period for you? Get out!"

With that, she yanked the door open and booted him out with one swift kick.

The door slammed shut with a "bang."

Egbert stood outside, frowning at the closed door, his lips pressed tightly together.

In the control room, the show's director let out a long sigh of relief, patting his chest, "That scared me. He's finally out, but why so soon?"

The assistant director just gave the director a sidelong glance...

Trying to hold back, yet unable to restrain himself, he grabbed a megaphone and threw it at the director's head!

The next day was the last day of filming for the show.

Eileen rose early to find Egbert downstairs, opened a can to the cat, who shamelessly meowed around Egbert, even standing on its hind legs to paw at his jeans.

Eileen wandered over in her slippers. Both man and cat turned to look at her at the same time.

Eileen walked past Egbert into the kitchen and washed her hands under the faucet.

"Morning," Egbert said, watching her.

"Morning," Eileen replied casually. She opened the fridge to check the ingredients.

After Egbert poured cat food into the bowl, he too washed his hands and approached Eileen, resting a hand on her shoulder, "Let me do it." Eileen blinked, "You're making breakfast?"novelbin

He nodded, pulling out a packet of frozen bagels, "Is this okay?"

Eileen shrugged, "Whatever."

Seeing Egbert taking charge of breakfast, she comfortably plopped down on the couch.

Soon, Egbert served up the bagels.

After a few bites, Eileen noticed Egbert watching her. She chewed her bagel, puzzled, "What?"

He slid a mug of milk beside her, "Drink up."

Eileen found his behavior odd.

She sniffed the milk - no poison. She took a cautious sip - tasted normal.

Giving up on guessing his motives, she set down the glass, "What's this all about?"

Egbert asked cheerfully, "During the trial period, all of this counts as points, right?"

Eileen was speechless. So that's why he was being so nice, feeding the cat and making breakfast. He was waiting to impress her!

With a snort, Eileen quipped, "You think you're at school? This isn't an exam. I'm not giving you any hints on what earns or costs points. I'll be the judge of that!"

Egbert fell silent, then said no more, and Eileen continued eating her bagel.

After a while, Egbert declared, "I'll make lunch too."

When she didn't respond, he added, "I'll take care of other chores too."

Eileen had stopped paying attention.

What chores could Egbert possibly do? At most, he'd heat some ready meals or switch on a robot vacuum for a bit of cleaning.

Once they returned home after filming and the housekeeper was there, would she let the young master lift a finger?

Eileen finished her breakfast quickly, then dashed upstairs. Since there were no new tasks for the day apart from a wrap party in the evening, the guests were free to do as they pleased.

Eileen packed her bags.

At noon, she came down to find Egbert preparing food again.

Curious, she strolled into the kitchen, her hands clasped behind her. Watching Egbert skillfully slice the fish, she casually asked, "When did you go shopping?"

Egbert rinsed the fish slices, "Just now."

She nodded, spotting a printed recipe on the fridge. Clicking her tongue, she teased, "Well, I can't wait to taste Mr. Reed's culinary skills."

He glanced at her, defiant, "If it's good, that's extra points, right?"

Eileen chuckled, "Sure, you can have some."

Egbert went back to preparing the fish. He worked swiftly. In an hour, a dish and a soup were ready.

Eileen passed the kitchen, taken aback by the watery mess and fish scales strewn about. Shaking her head, she didn't want to look any longer and headed to the dining room.

Five minutes later, Eileen tasted the most yucky grilled fish and the most terrible corn chowder in history.

She fell silent. Quickly took a gulp of juice to suppress the taste, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for the juice, which wasn't squeezed by Egbert.

"How is it?" Egbert asked from across the table.

Eileen swallowed hard and managed, "Pretty good."

Egbert looked at her expression and then tried a piece of fish himself.

Two seconds later, Egbert fell into contemplation.

Eileen touched her nose, consoling him, "Not bad for a beginner."

Egbert stood up and took away the food.

"What are you doing?" Eileen asked.

Egbert replied coldly, "Ordering takeout."

Eileen heaved a sigh and reluctantly pushed her plate aside. "I'm not fussy, I can eat this.

As she spoke, Eileen picked up a slice of fish and put it in her mouth, then quickly drank some juice to swallow it.

It was still awful. But Eileen bravely swallowed the fish, and with an awkward yet polite determination, she mustered, "It's not bad, really." Egbert said nothing.

Trying to cheer him up, Eileen coaxed, "Don't be upset. If you really want to learn, I'll show you how after lunch."

Egbert looked at her, wordlessly grabbed a piece of fish, and began to eat.

After lunch, Eileen decided to take the remaining ingredients and give Egbert a hands-on cooking lesson.

An hour later, Eileen stared at Egbert's culinary creation with a blank expression and said in a somber tone, "Everything will change. Friends may betray me, family may deceive me, money may tempt me, but you, in the kitchen, remain unswayed. You just won't get it, no matter how much I teach."