Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Eileen's hands trembled with barely contained fury as she clutched her phone so tightly it seemed it might shatter into a thousand pieces. "That jerk!" she muttered under her breath.

Egbert, cool as a cucumber, took the phone from her shaking hands and glanced at the screen, confirming what he suspected. He saw the video Eileen had sent to NightKing.

In the video, she was defiant with a wild streak stood triumphantly atop two subdued men, taunting the camera with the bravado of someone who had no fear of the kingpin of the criminal underworld.novelbin

Lifting his gaze, Egbert's eyes met Eileen's, his expression unreadable. She quickly tried to deflect, "We... we should find Sylvia first!"

Meanwhile, at the Frostsglow Hotel, NightKing placed his phone down, his smirk widening.

His henchman, nervously edging closer, informed him, "Silent Wing has been alerted, we should—"

NightKing silenced him with a glance, and the henchman clamped his mouth shut. After a moment's hesitation, he ventured another question, "Why did Eileen let our guy go?"

NightKing extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, his voice nonchalant, "Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"Boss, do you think you know who she really is?" the underling asked, seeking wisdom.

NightKing didn't answer directly, simply turning his gaze to the dreary sky outside the window.

Sylvia had been in the private booth just moments ago, and now she had vanished, presumably kidnapped. The background in the video-a stark white bed-suggested she wasn't far. Where else would you find a bed nearby but in one of the hotel's own rooms?

Frostsglow spanned twenty stories-so which room could it be?

Eileen replayed the video and scrutinized it again. Just then, Egbert headed towards the elevator, pressing the button for the twentieth floor. She followed him, puzzled, "Do you know where she is?"

Without a word, Egbert just pushed the button for the top floor. Eileen's eyes narrowed as she looked at the video again. In the final seconds, the camera shook and revealed a glass of water on the bedside table, reflecting a building outside the window. From this, Eileen deduced they were on a high floor, somewhere between the eighteenth and the twentieth.

Zooming in, she observed the proportion of sky to buildings through the window-it was a one-to-one ratio, suggesting the camera was closer to the sky. It had to be the top floor.

On the twentieth floor, they narrowed down the potential rooms based on the orientation of the buildings outside. Fifteen rooms on the right, three suspicious ones after narrowing the angle.

Standing before those three rooms, Eileen pondered aloud, "Which one do you think it is?"

Egbert completely ignored her, taking out his phone to access the hotel's online room booking platform.

After a quick glance, he stopped at the door of room 2021.

Eileen tiptoed to sneak a peek at Egbert's phone and saw that on the booking platform, rooms 2020 and 2023 were both marked as "Rented." With the other two rooms already taken, the remaining room 2021 was obviously the only available option.

At that moment, Egbert stepped aside a bit, hands in his pockets, and coolly looked at Eileen, asking, "Will you do the honors?"

Eileen glanced at him skeptically, "If I actually break in, it won't count as trespassing, right?"

He gave her no response, his expression stoic.

After locating a maintenance cart around the corner, Eileen deftly removed a wheel, extracting a slim metal tool from the axle. She returned, knelt before the electronic lock, and within two minutes, the door clicked open.

Egbert observed her with increasingly darkened eyes, while NightKing, watching through the hotel's surveillance, recognized her technique all too well. Indeed, she was the one he had suspected.

Eileen pushed open the door, and as she picked up her makeshift lock-pick, she caught Egbert's icy gaze.

"You said it wouldn't count as breaking and entering!" she protested quickly.

"I said nothing," Egbert replied coolly before stepping into the room. Eileen hurried after him.

Inside, they found Sylvia lying unconscious on the bed. Egbert moved to check on her, but Eileen shouted, "What are you doing?"

He looked at her questioningly. Eileen ran over, positioning herself between him and Sylvia. "You can't touch her."

"And why is that?" Egbert raised an eyebrow.

"Because I said so!" Eileen declared, shoving him slightly. She then checked on Sylvia herself, relieved to find her just asleep. Turning back to Egbert, she tried to lighten the mood, "Egbert, feeling peckish? Let me recommend some dishes-beef bourguignon pasta, chicken and mushroom tagliatelle, sauerkraut spaghetti, and oh, how about... me-in-your-arms pasta?"

Egbert was taken aback for a moment but couldn't help a slight smile creeping upon his lips.

"You're smiling, and you're not mad anymore!" Eileen pointed out triumphantly.

Egbert, slightly exasperated yet charmed, wrapped his arms around her waist and murmured, "Just this once."

Eileen didn't stop to consider if it was feasible; she just started nodding furiously. "Yeah, yeah!"

Watching from the surveillance cam, NightKing raised an eyebrow, his steely gaze narrowing slightly.

After a short pause, he pulled out his smartphone and made a call.

Egbert's phone began to ring.

He dug it out of his pocket, and even without a caller ID, the area code gave away who it was.

Egbert glanced at Eileen, hit the answer button, and switched on the speakerphone.

Eileen eyed the phone, clueless about why NightKing was reaching out to Egbert. She leaned in, eavesdropping.

On the other end, NightKing spoke in a detached tone, "You're probably curious about the same thing as I am."

Egbert's eyebrows quirked in response. And Eileen got nervous.

With a scoff, NightKing continued coolly, "If I'm not mistaken, she ought to be considered my..."

Eileen's fingers clenched Egbert's sleeve in nervous anticipation.

Egbert watched Eileen's expression intently.

"My teacher's student."

Eileen stared dumbfounded at the phone. NightKing, having seemingly guessed the truth, kept talking, his voice laced with smug pride.

After listening for a while longer, Eileen couldn't take it anymore. She reached out and jabbed the end call button.

The line went dead. Eileen turned to Egbert, her voice stern, "Maybe I knocked some sense out of him last time I bumped his head, but Egbert, you shouldn't play with dimwits. Promise me you won't answer his calls anymore, okay?"