Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Ophelia's gaze bored into Eileen, who seemed frozen in place. Finally, with deliberate slowness, she asked, "What did you say?"

Sweat beaded on Eileen's forehead as she fumbled for a distraction. "I mean, look, a UFO!" she blurted out, pointing past the window before bolting towards the door.

Behind her, Ophelia was on the verge of a meltdown, her voice thunderous. "Your neighbor is Egbert?!"

Eileen froze, her hand on the doorknob. She turned to face the wrath of Ophelia, only to realize she had barely moved from where she stood. Breathing a sigh of relief, Eileen played it cool. "Yeah, just a simple, cordial neighborly relationship."

Ophelia's face contorted with incredulity. "I thought you said you weren't together!"

"We are just neighbors," Eileen insisted weakly.

With a scornful snort, Ophelia pressed harder. "No wonder you wouldn't leave your aunt's house. Tell me, Eileen, do you have feelings for Egbert?"

Eileen scratched her ear, her cheeks tinged with red, but she hid it well. "Mr. Reed is a respected senior, a true artist. I have a lot of admiration for him."

Ophelia watched her with a dangerous calm. After a long moment, she exhaled and massaged her temples. "I'm too tired to deal with this. But let me tell you, nobody can know you and Egbert are from the same neighborhood. Got it?"

Eileen nodded frantically. "I got it, totally."

"Go get your makeup done," Ophelia dismissed her with a wave of her hand.

Grateful for the escape, Eileen dashed out the door. After the fitting for the awards ceremony dress, she headed to the marketing department for a meeting.

Ophelia was there, and the meeting was mainly about Eileen's upcoming work schedule.

"A movie?" Eileen's eyes lit up as she flipped through the script laid before her. "A fantasy film?"

"Eyes on the Rendezvous hasn't been released yet, so your job offering won't improve much," Ophelia explained. "But you can't just sit around waiting. Reality shows are fun now and then, but too much and the audience gets bored. We need to focus on film and TV. With your rising popularity, we've got more big productions knocking. Several TV series scripts were meh, but this movie looks promising. You're the second female lead, with a fair amount of screen time and your own story line. It's a Carrol piece. Awards are a long shot, but it should do well at the box office."

"Director Carrol?" Eileen's interest piqued as she examined the script more closely.

The cover read 'Feathers of Fate,' but the story within hinted it would be released as 'Sudden Changes.' Eileen remembered this movie from her past life; she'd played an extra in it.

During a set scene, they needed a beggar woman with a pretty face. The stand-in couldn't make it, and as the set was already built, the director was having a meltdown. Eileen, clad in costume from a nearby web series set, had wandered over out of curiosity.

Carrol spotted her, not recognizing her as the widely mocked Eileen but seeing potential in her look. He asked if she could stand in, offering her a special appearance fee, a step above the standard extra and a notch of prestige.

Back then, Eileen could've declined. She wasn't a star, but she was above extra work. Yet, she had never been in a quality film, always in flops, and she wanted to know what it was like to be part of a grand production. So she agreed.

She filmed for an hour, but in the final cut, she appeared for barely a second.

Yet, here was a chance to be part of it once more, in a different role. Eileen knew who had played the original second lead, a celebrity offspring using the role as a launchpad. However, her acting was so poor it almost sank the otherwise decent film.

After flipping through the script, Eileen said without much fuss, "Sure, let's do this one."

Ophelia nodded in agreement. "I'll confirm with them and let you know when you're needed on set."

With work matters settled, Eileen enjoyed a free lunch in the company cafeteria before heading home. Once home, she grabbed a chunk of the script and began reading.

When Egbert returned, he found Eileen lounging in her pajamas on the couch. Fresh from a shower, her damp hair cascaded over her shoulders, a few strands clinging to her cheeks.

The TV droned with the news, which she ignored, her attention wholly on the script resting on her knees.novelbin

Egbert set down his keys and sat beside her, close enough to feel her warmth.

Eileen didn't look up, engrossed in her lines.

After a moment, Egbert furrowed his brow, reached out, and snatched the script from her grasp.

Startled, Eileen quickly reclaimed it, securing it against her chest. "You can't look at this," she protested. "It's confidential!"

Egbert withdrew his hand, casting a cursory glance at the names etched on the script's cover-the playwright and the director-before his gaze shifted, landing on Eileen's face.

"Is the housekeeper not around?" he asked.

"She's gone to the market," Eileen replied.

Egbert simply muttered an "Oh," his voice indifferent.

As Eileen tidied the script, she casually inquired, "Where did you run off to just now?"

"To the hospital," Egbert replied, his tone still nonchalant.

Eileen immediately looked up at him, concern etching her features. "Who's sick?"

Their eyes met as Egbert calmly stated, "Me."

Eileen was taken aback. She quickly reached out, feeling Egbert's arm, her voice laced with worry, "What's wrong with you? Are you okay?" Egbert gently caught her probing hand, his voice light as he confessed, "The doctor said it's hypoglycemia."

Eileen's brow furrowed in confusion, pondering how Egbert could suffer from low blood sugar.

Then she heard him continue, "But you're sweet enough. Since no one's home, why don't you give me a kiss? Might boos my sugar levels."