Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



Aurora clenched her fists as the stinging pain blazed across her cheek. With tears brimming in her eyes, she shot a furious glare at Eileen standing before her.

Calvert rushed over and positioned himself protectively in front of Aurora, his brow furrowed with concern. "What the hell, Eileen?"

Aurora felt a surge of injustice and her eyes reddened.

Calvert, being her friend, could only shield her and managed to say to Eileen, "Sorry, she's not herself right now."

Eileen was hardly interested in excuses. She pointed to the scattered trail mix and canned tuna on the ground, "That's a hundred bucks."

Calvert's lips tightened, and after a moment, he nodded reluctantly, "Fine, I'll pay you outside."

Eileen said no more. But Aurora instantly tugged at Calvert's sleeve, protesting, "Don't give her the money! Why should we pay her?"

Calvert shot an awkward glance at Eileen and tried to calm Aurora, "Come on, you messed up her stuff."

Aurora burst into tears, as if she'd been wronged by the world, choking out, "But she slapped me! So what if I ate a bit of her food? They have so much, and we've been starving for days. Shouldn't they help us?"

Calvert's brow furrowed deeper, "Aurora..."

But Aurora was relentless, "I didn't even hurt her, but she hit me so hard-look at my face..."

"Aurora!" Calvert steadied her shoulders, genuinely worried about her mental state.

At that moment, Eileen burst into laughter, clapping her hands mockingly, "Ms. Bell, playing the victim card like a pro, huh? You lack food, so you take mine? What next, rob a bank because you're broke?"

Aurora's face turned crimson with anger, "You..."

Eileen cut her off with a cold voice, "Oh, our drama queen speaks. The epitome of innocence, never harming a soul, above us mere mortals."

The others, Sylvia and Hobson, couldn't hold back their laughter at Eileen's sarcastic monologue.

Aurora, shaking with fury, pointed at Eileen, "What did you say?!"

Eileen shrugged nonchalantly, "Just speaking some truth. Too complex for you? Good, you're no poet."

"You...you..." Aurora was speechless with rage.

It was then that a man's light laughter echoed through the air, drawing everyone's attention, including a shocked Aurora, to Egbert. His eyes were filled with fond exasperation as he looked at Eileen with a love-struck grin.

Aurora's heart pounded with betrayal, and tears streamed down her face as she accused Egbert, "Mr. Reed, why are you siding with her?!"

Egbert, caught off guard, slowly turned to Aurora with an amused look and simply stated, "Why wouldn't I? She's my wife."

Hearing his reply, Aurora was stunned.

Eileen, equally surprised, turned and dashed towards Egbert, trying to silence him while exclaiming, "Not this again!" Egbert, chuckling, leaned back, catching her wrists with one hand and pulling her close with the other, whispering, "Easy." Eileen glared, "Can't you ever just zip it?"

But before Egbert could respond, Calvert's voice rang out, "Aurora!"

Everyone turned to see Aurora sway and collapse in their direction.

Eileen instinctively stepped forward to push her away, but Egbert, with a sharp glance, held Eileen back and sidestepped.

"Thud!" Aurora fell face-first into the dirt.

"Aurora!" Calvert rushed to her side, while Egbert asked Eileen, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and pushed Egbert away, then looked down at the motionless Aurora and raised her hands to the drone overhead, shouting, "Look, we didn't touch her! Don't even try to pin this on us!"

"Aurora, wake up!" Calvert panicked as Aurora remained unconscious. He called to the drone, "We need medical help now!"

The director's voice came through the drone, frantic, "On their way!"

The crew was clearly shaken by Aurora's collapse.

Sylvia and Hobson gathered around as Eileen, with a sigh, crouched down and reluctantly checked Aurora's forehead, only to find it burning up.

Frowning in concern, Eileen turned to Calvert, "How long has she been sick?"

Caught off guard, he blurted out, "Sick? I thought she was just out of her mind."

Eileen was speechless but knew they had to act. She told Sylvia, "Help me get her inside."

They carried Aurora into the spacious house Eileen had built, ensuring proper ventilation. Once inside, Eileen ordered everyone but Sylvia out. The group waited anxiously outside, hoping for the best.

Hobson hung the makeshift door curtain made of woven vines and broad plant leaves, ensuring a veil of privacy from prying eyes. He turned to Calvert, his tone heavy with concern, "How on earth did Ms. Bell end up like this?"

Calvert ran a hand through his hair, his face etched with frustration. "It's on me. I didn't notice she was running a fever. She must be delirious from the illness."

Hobson muttered under his breath, "That's what I'm saying. Why did you guys split up in the first place? Wouldn't it have been better to stick together from the start?"

Regrets were piling up in Calvert's mind, but it was too late for what-ifs.

A little while later, Eileen emerged from the house, clapping her hands together as if to rid them of some unseen filth. "Touching her... I'm not gonna be cursed for ten years, am I?" she grumbled.

Egbert, who had been sitting quietly to the side, stood up at her words. He dampened a clean cloth and walked over, handing it to Eileen.

Taking the cloth, Eileen cleaned her hands and then addressed Calvert with a certain bluntness, "I've got a bit of good news and a bit of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Calvert, taken aback, hesitated, "The bad, bad news?"

Eileen didn't mince words. "She's got an infectious respiratory condition. Needs immediate first aid."

Calvert's heart sank. "And the good news?"

Eileen's lips quirked up slightly, "The good news is, I only charge fifty grand for emergency care. Pay up, and I'll get to work."noveldrama