Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



The air was still as stone.

Eileen stood in the corridor while Egbert remained inside the room when their eyes met.

Well, didn't actually meet, because Eileen's gaze wasn't on Egbert's eyes, and she was looking at Egbert's body.

A chuckle echoed from above, pulling Eileen out of her thoughts. She looked up, offering the tray in her hands. "Your dinner," she said.

Egbert took the tray with one hand, smiling at her. "Thank you."

Eileen remained silent, letting her gaze drift back down to his midsection.

Seeing her, Egbert teased, "What are you looking at?"

Eileen blinked before pointing at a scar in the middle of his abs. "Have you always had this scar?"

Egbert paused, looking down at his scar. Amidst his abs was a thin, red mark. He frowned, finally admitting, "Yes, it's been there."

Eileen quickly shot a look at Egbert's face, her silence stretching for a moment before she accused, "You're lying."

Egbert didn't say a word.

Eileen continued, "We've done enough scenes together. I know your body better than you do."

Eileen looked back at the scar and asked, "Was it from the fight with the Night King?"

Egbert still didn't speak.

Eileen stopped asking. "You never tell me anything," she said, "But fine, I don't want to know!"

With that, she turned to leave. But as she moved, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

The door closed with a loud snap, and Eileen was gone from the corridor.

A maid, who had been spying from the stairwell, slapped her thigh in excitement. She quickly pulled out her phone, dialing her boss.

"Ma'am! It's me! The young master pulled Ms. Lopez into his room! He was shirtless!"

"Yes, I think they're together now! You're going to be a grandmother!"

Inside the room, Eileen stood by Egbert's bed, her eyes darting around the room.

Egbert must have been working in his room, as the desk was piled high with papers. The room was decorated simply, with a black and white theme. Looking down, Eileen saw the black carpet underfoot.

She sighed, wishing she had a black carpet instead of her pink one.

The sound of a wardrobe opening pulled her attention back to Egbert. He pulled out a bathrobe and slipped it on without bothering to tie the belt, leaving him looking as undressed as before.

Eileen frowned, admonishing him, "Put it on properly! You'll catch a cold!"

He paused, looking over his shoulder before pulling the robe together and tying the belt. Only then did Eileen seem satisfied.

Egbert turned to her, "Have a seat."

With nowhere else to go, Eileen sat on his bed. Egbert joined her, asking, "What do you want to know?"

Eileen blinked, pointing at his scar. "I just want to know how and when you got this."

Egbert replied, "It was during the pursuit of the Bloodbane Shadowsociety's leader."

Eileen understood. It wasn't from the Night King, but because of him!

As she contemplated this, Egbert asked, "Anything else?"

Eileen shook her head, "No."

Egbert, however, looked at her seriously. "Are you sure? You said I never tell you anything. Aren't there other questions?" Eileen blinked, "Huh?"

Egbert sighed, rubbing his forehead. "There's a question you've wanted to ask for a while, isn't there?"novelbin

Realizing what he meant, Eileen jumped up and tried to run. However, Egbert was quicker, grabbing the back of her collar.

"Hey!" Eileen flailed but couldn't break free. She glared at Egbert who pushed her back onto the bed.

"You've already taken the first step," he said. "You called him brother, why are you backing down now?" Eileen gritted her teeth, "I regretted it as soon as I did it. I don't even know if this is right."

Egbert looked at her, his voice soft. "If you think it's right, then it is."

Eileen paused, staring at Egbert for a moment.

Finally, she scratched her head, exclaiming, "I shouldn't have asked about your ex-fiancée! In the end, the joke is on me. I was basking in the drama, and it backfired!"

Egbert couldn't help but laugh. "What are you talking about?"

Eileen snapped, "Fine, I can't hide it anymore. I know I'm not my father's biological daughter. According to Bartley, my father is Derek, and my mother is Rosalind. I was kidnapped when I was young. Now, even my youngest niece can cook..."

Egbert watched her, silent.

Eileen crossed her arms, glaring at Egbert. "But you, you must have known about my identity for a while now. When did you find out that I'm your... your..."

Egbert finished her sentence calmly, "Your fiancée."

Eileen sat down, explaining to Egbert, "Actually, since we've broken off the engagement, I can't really be called a fiancée anymore. Technically, I'm an ex, which means we have no connection now. At most, we're just fri..."

Before Eileen could finish, she noticed Egbert's expression growing colder.

Eileen paused, finally conceding, "Fine, fine, you're the boss, fiancée it is. Everyone loves you, I can't compete with that. So when did you find out?" Egbert paused for a moment before uttering, "Before Survivor."

Eileen bounced up, "That early?"

Egbert looked at her without a sound. Then Eileen frowned, "So you all knew that early? I was the only one left out?"

At this point, Egbert reached out to her, pulling her back down to sit, "We've been trying to find a way that you could accept."

Eileen paused. Egbert gently held her fingers, softly saying, "The truth can be too cruel, too hurtful. We just hoped that we could avoid causing you pain..."

Eileen hadn't expected them to think this way.

She didn't pull away from Egbert's hand, just looked at him. After a while, she said, "It's inevitable, Egbert. You have a happy family now, but if I told you that your parents aren't your biological parents, how would you feel? No one can accept their feelings built over twenty years being washed away."

He nodded slowly, "I understand."

Eileen lowered her gaze to her own fingers, "So, you restored the house I lived in as a child for me, didn't you?"

Egbert remained silent.

Eileen looked up at him, suddenly smiling, "Thank you, Egbert. Thank you for taking care of my heart in such a gentle way. Thank you for preserving my most precious memories from childhood. Thank you for telling me that you guys aren't trying to take away my connection with the Howard family. You're just very carefully trying to get close to me..."

Egbert reached out and held her, stroking the back of her head, "We all love you."

Eileen didn't push Egbert away. She rested her chin on his shoulder, staring at the bare wall in front of them, "Bartley told me that the Lopez family has been in pain over the years searching for me... It turns out that while I was happily living with my dad, grandpa, and grandma, they were crying, panicking, afraid, worried, and suffering because they couldn't find me..."

Egbert let her go, soothing her with his fingertips on her cheek, "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

Eileen pursed her lips, staring at the black carpet on the floor. After a moment of silence, she said, "Actually, 'mom', 'brother', these titles aren't that hard, right?"

Egbert stared into Eileen's deep eyes, nodding gently, "Right, it's not hard. If you're not comfortable with it, can't say it, you can practice with me first." Eileen was taken aback, "Practice?"

Egbert said, "Call me 'honey'. For speaking practice."