Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



In no time, the table and chairs were all set, and everyone sat down to dine.

Eileen was positioned at the center of the table.

Egbert started to move towards the seat next to her.

Suddenly, Blake from the other side called, "Egbert, over here."

Egbert paused.

He turned his head towards Blake.

Blake gave a nod to Chad who immediately said, "Yeah, Egbert, let the ladies sit together, and us men sit together. Come sit over here."

Egbert's brow furrowed. He didn't say a word but turned back and continued towards Eileen.

But the moment he took a step, the seats on either side of Eileen were promptly occupied by his mother and Ms. Rosalind.

Egbert was a speechless. In the end, Egbert found himself sandwiched between Blake and Chad, across from Eileen, who felt a million miles away.

That distance, well, if you wanted to pass her a dish, you'd have to stand on the table to reach her.

It was then that Eileen noticed Egbert across from her. His expression was cold, his face stern. His mere presence seemed to dampen the appetite. Eileen made a silent gesture, asking, "What's up?"

Egbert remained silent, just gazing at her intensely.

Eileen didn't understand Egbert's intentions, but she quickly turned her attention back to the others who were conversing with her.

They took two hours to finish their meal.

When it was time to clean the table, Eileen tried to help but was held back by her mother and Josephine.

Her mother smiled and said, "Let the kids take care of it."

Eileen looked up to see Sawyer, Simon, and Karin, the younger ones, already buzzing around the table like diligent bees, clearing up the dishes. Phyllis and Josiah were also helping.

Eileen felt a bit uncomfortable. She preferred doing the dishes than socializing with the family.

She lowered her head, somewhat evasively, and said, "I should go help. It's not right to let guests do all the work while the host sits back and relaxes."

Josephine thought for a moment and nodded, "You have a point."

Then she turned to Egbert and exclaimed, "Egbert, why are you sitting around? You're the host, go help!"

Egbert, who was being engaged in conversation by Blake, just looked on blankly.

Seeing that Egbert was about to get busy, Blake ended their conversation with a wave, saying, "You go on."

On the other side, Eileen was being led to the couch by the two older women.

Flossie and Sonia were also there. Seeing Eileen join them, they all huddled together and started chatting.

Noticing Eileen's discomfort, Flossie tried to lighten the mood by asking, "What have you been up to lately, Eileen?"

Eileen thought for a moment and replied, "Nothing much, just bought shares in a small company and took on some roles like chairman and CEO. You know, the usual work stuff."

Flossie was surprise by her answer.

Sonia chimed in, "I heard about that from your older brother."

Eileen just smiled at Sonia.

Flossie was speechless. So, she was the only one out of the loop?

Rosalind sympathetically said, “Managing a company is hard work. Being a celebrity is also tough. Do you enjoy these jobs, Eileen? If not, you might want to consider coming back home and taking over..."

"Ahem." Flossie interrupted Rosalind.

Rosalind stopped abruptly. She remembered the rules set by the children before they came - not to cling to Eileen, not to mention asking her to come home, not to put any burden on Eileen. Everything had to be gradual and orderly, so Eileen wouldn't feel morally obligated or pressured.

Taking a deep breath, Rosalind quickly changed her words, "If you don't like these jobs, I can introduce you to other careers. What do you enjoy doing?"

Eileen looked down at her fingers and fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "I enjoy being a soldier."

Rosalind was taken aback.

Not just Rosalind, everyone fell silent at Eileen's remark.

Nobody expected her career choice to be that.

The idea of being a soldier had long been a part of Eileen's life plan.

Whether or not she had a new family, she never thought of changing this ultimate goal.

Being an actor or a businesswoman were just jobs she was doing in the current phase of her life.

But in the future, she would become a soldier, serve her country, stand tall and proud, just like her father... Nathan.

After Eileen finished speaking, there was a moment of silence.

Eileen guessed that they were probably thinking of ways to persuade her to change her mind.

After all, it was rare for a girl to consider joining the military.

Eileen began to think about how she could convince them and tell them that her determination to join the military was unwavering.

It was then that Eileen felt her hand being held, and she looked up and met her mother's gentle gaze.

"You want to be a soldier, huh? You'll have to ask your second brother when he gets back."

Eileen was taken aback.

Rosalind looked at her daughter with a smile and said, "You haven't met your second brother yet, have you? He's stationed at the border and doesn't get to come home often. But you've met Elaine Lopez and Burton Lopez. Your second brother's entire family, including your sister-in-law, are all in the military."

Eileen blinked in surprise. She was aware that her second brother's family were all in the military, but it was different for a girl.

She didn't expect her mother to be so open-minded.

Josephine sighed and said, "Being a soldier is really hard, I know from experience. But if that's what you want, Eileen, I support you. You can ask Egbert, he knows..."

"Let's just ask Mr. Reed." Rosalind suddenly interrupted Josephine.

Josephine cast a glance at Rosalind before adding, "Egbert is another option, he's also aware..."

"Let's put Egbert aside for a moment." Rosalind pondered, "Hasn't Egbert been retired for quite some time?"

Josephine detected a sarcastic tone in Rosa's voice, and she instantly got defensive, "Egbert is still a special advisor to the military, he gets involved occasionally!"

Rosalind retorted, "Special advisors are part of a different system, they're not traditional soldiers."

Josephine countered, "But he still knows!"

Rosalind smirked, "I never said he didn't."

"You..." Josephine was at a loss for words. She realized that Rosalind had a strong opinion about her son!

Eileen curiously asked, "Did Egbert serve in the military for a long time?"

She knew Egbert was a veteran, but she wasn't sure for how long, or what his role was.

Josephine's expression faltered, and she awkwardly looked at Eileen before waving it off, "Haha, the length of service isn't that important..."

Rosalind interjected, "I recall, all in all, it was just three years, right Josephine?"

Josephine was fuming. She quickly said to Eileen, "Three...three years is not short, that's over a thousand days, right..."

"Only three years?" Eileen blinked in surprise.

Josephine felt her face burning with embarrassment. The Lopez family's second son had served for over twenty years.

Comparing Egbert's military service with theirs felt like comparing an apple to a watermelon!

Josephine couldn't muster up any more bravado, she vaguely said, "More, a bit more than three years..."

Rosalind was trying to suppress her laughter.noveldrama

Eileen suddenly blurted out, "That's impressive!"

Rosalind was speechless while Josephine was confused.

Eileen looked towards the kitchen where she could see Egbert bending over the sink, washing dishes without a word of complaint.

Eileen said, "Only three years, but after retiring, he was able to join the special advisory system and is occasionally rehired for missions. This speaks volumes about his capabilities! No wonder he's a hacker, that's something only highly versatile soldiers are trained in. So, he's a scholar and a warrior?"

Then, Eileen patted her chest and said in relief, "Thank goodness I'm also a scholar and a warrior. I have a knack for both fighting and arguing."