Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Though cut off in mid-call, NightKing kept his eyes glued to the monitors, tracking every movement of Egbert and Eileen from afar.

He caught every word they said, his face a mask of stoic coldness, while his underling shrank beside him, pretending to be deaf to the conversation. NightKing reached for his phone again, but this time he didn't dial Egbert. Instead, he punched in a different number.

When Sylvia came to, she found herself on a plush king-size bed of a hotel room, with Eileen sitting by her side. Blearily sitting up, she rubbed her forehead and called out, "Eileen?"

Eileen, absorbed in her smartphone, set it aside and walked over. "You awake?"

Confused, Sylvia asked, "What... what happened to me?"

Seeing Sylvia's memory was a bit foggy, Eileen's eyes flicked mischievously, and she lied on the spot: "You got carbon monoxide poisoning."

Sylvia stared at her, dumbfounded. She massaged her temples, trying to piece together her memories, and then it hit her. She blurted out excitedly, "No! I was kidnapped!"

Eileen, cornered by Sylvia's sudden recollection, decided to double down on her deception. "No, you're not. I found you passed out at the bathroom door. I got us a room to let you rest up."

Eileen clung to the story of carbon monoxide poisoning, but Sylvia's memory begged to differ.

Touching her nose, she insisted, "I remember someone covered my mouth from behind, then there was this awful smell, and after a while, I passed out!"

Eileen patted Sylvia's back, offering hollow comfort. "It's common for victims of carbon monoxide poisoning to hallucinate. You must've imagined it." Sylvia eyed her skeptically. "Really?"

Eileen nodded earnestly. "Yeah, besides, if it was a kidnapping, what would they want with you? Look at your clothes; they're untouched." Sylvia glanced down at her clothes, finding them undisturbed.

Doubting herself, she fell silent for a long while before finally accepting Eileen's explanation and thanking her. "So I really did get carbon monoxide poisoning. You saved my life, Eileen. Thank you."

Relieved that Sylvia bought the story, Eileen replied, "No problem. I'm always happy to help."

Sylvia then asked about the others.

Eileen showed her the phone-it was past midnight. Sylvia had been knocked out by a heavy dose of sleeping pills from evening till now. Sylvia gasped, "It's so late already. Are we going to stay here tonight?"

Eileen shook her head and replied, "No, we need to get back. Egbert's waiting for me downstairs. I'm married, you know. Can't stay out overnight." Sylvia was perplexed but was quickly urged by Eileen to get ready and leave.

A few minutes later, they descended to the lobby where Egbert sat in the lounge area, his face masked, engrossed in a magazine.

Eileen dashed over to him, with Sylvia trailing behind, her discomfort apparent. As they prepared to leave, Sylvia mentioned they hadn't checked out and that Eileen had the room key.

Caught off guard, Eileen hastily claimed, "Egbert's already taken care of it."

Sylvia eyed Egbert skeptically, questioning how he had the room key when it was Eileen who had it last. Eileen, unable to admit to her stealthy antics, dismissed the matter, insisting they needed to leave.

The ride back was silent, with Egbert at the wheel. Twenty minutes later, they dropped Sylvia off at her place.

Watching the black sedan pull into the neighboring driveway, Sylvia scoffed with envy.

Upon arriving home, Eileen noticed the surveillance cameras throughout the first floor were gone. The reality show was ending tomorrow, so it made sense that the crew had started packing up.

Eileen glanced at Egbert, catching his gaze. A shiver ran down her spine, and she bolted upstairs, only to be pulled back by the collar of her shirt. Egbert drew her close, his deep eyes studying her panicked ones. "Running from what?" he asked quietly.

Eileen, flustered, protested her innocence regarding NightKing, but Egbert wasn't interested in accusations. He simply held her close, seeking comfort rather than answers.

After he let her go and suggested she rest, Eileen lay in bed, mind racing about the day's events, especially Egbert's unexpected tenderness. She couldn't reveal the truth, that she had been reborn. After all, such things were the stuff of fairy tales, not real life.

Sighing, she cocooned herself in her blankets. "Forget it. I'm done thinking," she murmured.

The next day dawned with unanswered questions and unspoken secrets hanging in the air.

As dawn broke, the crew was already bustling about, assisting the celebrity guests with their luggage.

The guests' suitcases were to be shipped back to their respective homes in a coordinated effort.

Eileen carefully placed her beloved Rolls, the feisty terrier, into his travel crate and handed it to a crew member.novelbin

Pet travel was a complex affair, requiring various health certifications and reservations with the airline for a pressurized cargo hold well in advance. Thankfully, the show's production team had taken care of all the necessary arrangements.

After watching the luggage cart roll away, the director and assistant director approached with a stack of forms and pens in hand.

By that time, all the guests, except Aurora Bell who had departed early, had gathered together.

The assistant director distributed the forms to the five celebrities, explaining, "Once the show airs, we'll send out the gifts provided by our sponsors. Please fill in your addresses now, so we can expedite the shipment process."

Eileen's eyes lit up at the mention of gifts. She eagerly snatched the pen and paper, swiftly jotting down her address.

As she capped her pen, she noticed Egbert standing idly with empty hands and asked curiously, "Why aren't you writing anything?"

The other three guests and both directors turned their attention to Egbert.

Without a word, Egbert took the card from Eileen, glanced at it, and with a quick flourish of his pen, he added "Egbert" in front of "Eileen." Handing back the card to the assistant director, he simply said, "We share the same address."