Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Eileen was seething with a silent rage that could shred Egbert's heart into pieces. Incredulous, she blurted out, "You're heading to Goldvalley City too?"

The filming location for "Feathers of Fate" was in Goldvalley City.

Goldvalley City had recently erected a new film studio complex that offered more competitive rental rates than the long-established ones in the Capital and Silverpeak.

Egbert didn't respond. Just then, the airport PA system announced the final boarding call for passengers bound for Goldvalley City.

Striding ahead, Egbert made his way to board the plane.

Gritting her teeth, Eileen hurried along with Janice to catch up.

Once on the plane, Eileen and Egbert were seated in first-class, while Janice settled into business class.

Eileen, taking her seat, nudged Egbert's arm and demanded, "What the hell are you up to?"

He glanced at her coolly and muttered, "Business."

Eileen frowned at him, skeptical and curious.

The flight from the Capital to Goldvalley City was a three-hour affair.

Upon landing, Eileen and Egbert disembarked through the VIP exit, where Eileen spotted the film crew waiting to greet them.

Janice went to speak with the crew while Eileen turned her head only to find that Egbert had vanished.

Could it really be just a coincidence that they were in the same city? No. It wasn't.

An hour later, in the hotel arranged by the production team, Eileen saw Egbert deep in conversation with director Carrol.

Carrol, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, was shrouded in a haze of smoke. Tall and thin with long hair tied into a topknot, he had the air of a disheveled artist, well into his forties.

Upon seeing Eileen approach, Carrol plucked the cigarette from his lips, tapped off the ash, and beckoned, "Eileen, right? Come over here." Casting

a glance at Egbert, she walked towards the two men and bowed slightly, "Hello, director Carrol."

Carrol took another drag of his cigarette and said, "I heard from Egbert that you two came over on the same flight. Did you plan this little rendezvous?"

Eileen's eyebrows knitted as she looked up at Egbert.

Carrol chuckled, "The E&E duo has been quite the talk of the town. Egbert, you are sneaking onto a reality dating show? That's quite a surprise." Egbert didn't answer, his voice tinged with irritation, "The smoke's bothering me."

Carrol paused, slightly taken aback, but eventually snuffed out his cigarette, remarking, "You weren't always so fussy."

Muttering to himself, Carrol then said, "Well, since you two know each other, let's cut to the chase. You've both read the script, right? Eileen, you're playing dual roles this time, the secondary female lead, Calliope, and her mother, the Fairy Andromeda."

"Egbert is playing the mortal Evander Moore, who has a fling with Andromeda, making him Calliope's father."

Eileen had skimmed through part of the script and, having seen the movie in a past life, immediately chimed in, "I know, it's like I'm born from a thing with my dad, right?"

Pondering her words, Carrol stroked his chin and mused, "Your description isn't exactly wrong, but it's not quite right either."

Egbert, in a stern voice, clarified, "Calliope and Andromeda are two separate beings."

Eileen shot Egbert a look and huffed, "I know that. Why didn't you say anything on the plane when I asked you?"

Carrol eyed them both, "Is there some sort of tension between you two?"

Eileen shook her head, quickly playing it coy, "No, I was just joking with Egbert."

Carrol glanced between Egbert and Eileen before stating, "Anyway, Egbert is only available for three days, so we need to wrap up all his scenes within that time frame. Eileen, make sure you know your lines inside out. We start shooting tomorrow."

Eileen nodded earnestly and promised, "Don't you worry, Carrol. I'll be spot-on with my performance. We'll get it right in one take, so we don't waste Egbert's time and he can be on his merry way."

It seemed there was indeed some bad blood between them.

Later that night, as Eileen was studying her lines in her room, there was a knock at the door.

Sliding into her slippers, she opened it to find a composed Egbert, script in hand.

Eileen cracked the door just enough to ask, "What do you want?"

Egbert silently held up his script and said, "Let's run lines."

Eileen snorted, "I'm busy." and started to close the door.

But Egbert stopped the door with his foot, let out a sigh, and offered, "Can we call it even if I apologize?"

Eileen pouted, peered around the corridor, then inquired, "You weren't seen coming here, were you?" Egbert assured her, "No one saw."

Reluctantly, Eileen opened the door wider and let him in.

Once inside, Egbert took a seat on the couch, flipping open his script in a manner that suggested he was truly there just to rehearse. Eileen, still in her pajamas, watched him for a moment before grabbing her own script from the bed and sitting across from him to run their lines together.

Due to the sudden schedule change, the rest of the cast hadn't arrived yet, including the leads.

So the next day's shoot would not kick off with the lead's scenes but with the first encounter between Andromeda, played by Eileen, and the mortal Evander, portrayed by Egbert.

The story of Andromeda, Calliope, was actually quite simple.

In the town of Andromeda's Rest, there was a legend about a mystical creature that roamed the skies. They called her Andromeda, a creature of ancient lore who had transformed from a powerful eagle into a being of pure magic. After a great war that tore through the human kingdoms, Andromeda descended upon the mortal world, craving the dark energy left by the conflict. It was then that she encountered Evander, a noble general of men.

Mistaking Andromeda for a damsel in distress, Evander rescued her from the battlefield's aftermath. Claiming to be a lost soul with no place to call home, Andromeda beseeched Evander to take her in. Moved by compassion, Evander welcomed her into his life, unaware of the true nature of the entity he had brought to the Moore family estate.

As they settled into a life together, Andromeda discovered that Evander's heart already belonged to his beloved wife and daughter. Andromeda, though not in love with Evander, was driven by her darker instincts. Out of jealousy and malice, she consumed his family and, through her enchantment, took on the appearance of his wife, binding herself to him in matrimony.

When Evander learned the horrifying truth, he was devastated. In a fit of rage, he drew his sword to slay Andromeda, only to be stopped by her revelation that she carried his unborn child. Andromeda, though once revered as a celestial being, revealed her true nature: a malevolent siren of deceit.

Having left Evander to his madness and grief, Andromeda met her end, but not before leaving behind a daughter, Calliope. Unlike her mother, Calliope was innocent and kind-hearted. Venturing from her secluded upbringing, she concealed her identity and remained close to the story's protagonists. But the divide between humans and creatures was too great, and when the heroine suffered an injury, the hero discovered Calliope's true lineage. Mistakenly believing Calliope to be the cause of harm, he resolved to vanquish her.

Calliope fled in her true form, hunted and alone. Her fate was sealed by the hand of her own father, Evander, who had become a renowned Ghost Hunter. With a single strike, he severed her head, erasing her existence.

The scene Eileen and Egbert were rehearsing was the fateful meeting between Andromeda and Evander.

Egbert had lingered in Eileen's room for over an hour, going through lines and scenes, yet he showed no signs of leaving.novelbin

Impatient, Eileen grabbed Egbert and pushed him towards the door, warning, "Don't make me throw a punch."

As she flung the door open, there stood Carrol, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a script in hand, about to knock. Their eyes met in a moment of awkward silence.

Confusion reigned as Carrol looked between Eileen and Egbert. Eileen met Carrol's gaze, just as baffled.

For a moment, the three of them stood in a silent standoff.

Carrol pulled the cigarette from his mouth, his expression one of bewilderment as he asked, "What's going on here?"

Egbert straightened his collar, calmly removing Eileen's grip from his shirt as he clarified, "Don't get me wrong, we're just a couple, not friends."