The tension in the room was palpable, the air thick with an unspoken electricity.
Egbert was too close to her, his body heat seemingly enveloping her in a warm cocoon.
Eileen bit her lip, wanting to push Egbert away.
But she didnât.
Instead, she muttered, âYou flubbed your lines.â
His voice softened, âThat was from the heart.â
Eileen fell silent for a moment before pushing Egbert again, saying, âGet up first.â
Eventually, Egbert rolled off and sat up.
After getting up, he reached out his hand to her again.
Eileen eyed his hand warily but ultimately took it, pulling herself up. Once on her feet, she quickly withdrew her hand and tucked it behind her back, saying, âTell me, was it your idea to rehearse the bed scene and the kiss today?â
Egbert sighed, shaking his head, âNo, it wasn't.â
Eileen eyed him suspiciously.
Egbert took her hand again, gently pulling her to sit beside him on the couch, âDo you really think Iâd dare?â
Eileen couldnât help it; she burst into laughter. But as soon as she finished laughing, she straightened her face, pretending the laughter had never happened.
Egbert watched her with amusement and asked, âEileen, are we good now?â
Eileen harrumphed, turning her face away, ignoring him.
Egbert leaned in a little, âAre we?â
Eileen turned her face even further away.
Egbert leaned in closer, âAre we?â
Eileen couldnât turn her neck any further without hurting herself!
At that moment, Egbert chuckled and gently cupped her face, turning her head back toward him, smiling, âAre we good?â
Eileen pouted, looking as if she were conceding with great reluctance, âThen you canât do this anymore.â
Egbert nodded, promising, âOkay, from now on, Iâll listen to you.â
Eileen awkwardly bowed her head, nudging it forward until her face buried itself in Egbertâs chest.
Egbert laughed, wrapping his arms around her, and planted a tender kiss in her hair.
And so, after two days of a cold war and not even forty-eight hours of total argument time, the new couple made up.
The next day, the actress replacing Renee arrived.
However, being a backup, the new actress didnât quite fit Carrolâs original vision for the character âShirley,â resulting in at least fifty percent of Shirleyâs scenes being cut, much of the content relegated to off-screen mentions.
Egbertâs three-day schedule was quickly used up.
After a flurry of activity, they managed to wrap up all the scenes involving the older generation.
On the day Egbert left, Eileen didnât go to see him off.
Carrol watched with a tinge of sadness, âDidnât you two make up?â
Eileen looked at Carrol, her feelings complex. Who would have thought that after falling in love with Egbert, the first person sheâd inform wouldn't be family or friends, but Carrol, a man unrelated by any stretch of the imagination.
Eileen sighed, âYes, we made up, but so what?â
Carrol prodded, âThen why didnât you see him off?â
Eileen blinked, âSO what if I didnât, what does it matter?â
Carrol clicked his tongue, âDonât you have something heartfelt to tell him?â
Eileen replied, âCanât I just call him?â
Carrol lifted his chin, âThen call him.â
Eileen picked up her phone from the table, where the screen had gone dark, and lit it up for Carrol to see.
He looked down and saw the phone displaying an ongoing WhatsApp call with Egbert.
And the call durationâfour hours and fifteen minutes?
Carrol was speechless.
Blinking, he asked in confusion, âYouâve been talking this long? But, werenât you just on set? And thereâs no sound from the other end of the call?â
Eileen explained, âYeah, thereâs no sound. Egbert went to take a shower and left his phone outside, just like how I left my phone in the makeup room when I was filming.â
Carrol was baffled, âThen why not hang up?â
Eileen turned the screen off again, and said, âWe just donât want to hang up, thatâs all. Heâs got hotel WiFi, and Iâve got WiFi on set, it doesnât cost anything. You donât understand, Carrol, this is how young people in long-distance relationships do it nowadays.â
Carrol was dumbfounded, âIs that so? Is this what long-distance relationships are like now?â
A week later, the lead actors joined the production.
The lead male character in âFeathers of Fateâ was named Chester, and the female lead was named Paulina.
Both were A-list actors; Chester was one of the best-resourced young male actors of the new generation, rumored to come from a powerful family.
Paulina, older than Chester, had become a big-screen actress after starring in three hit TV series.
Upon meeting Eileen, Paulina immediately extended an olive branch.
Eileen, at first, didnât understand why and asked Carrol, âIs it because Iâm just so likable? Like, universally adored?â
Carrol glanced at her and said, âPaulina and Aurora Bell are rivals.â
Eileen was taken aback, âOh, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh!â
Then the normal shooting resumed!
But a few days later, the atmosphere on set became strained again!
After a scene wrapped up, Eileen was reaching for her water bottle when Chester, who was in front of her, suddenly turned around, smiled, and handed it to her, saying, âMs. Lopez.â
Eileen paused momentarily, then took the bottle, replying, âThanks.â
Paulina strolled over at that moment, chuckling, âMr. Chester, how come you donât fetch water for me too?â
Chester pleaded with a grin, quickly grabbing Paulina's water glass and handing it over with a playful apology. "How could I ever forget our dear Paulina?"
Taking a sip, Paulina feigned indignation. "Dear? Paulina? You're aging me with those terms!"
With a chuckle, Chester switched gears, "Ms. Paulina, Ms. Paulina."
Paulina set down her glass, laughter in her eyes as she picked up her script. "Mr. Chester, care to run lines over there?"
"Sounds good," Chester agreed.
They walked off, scripts in hand, lost in conversation.
Eileen, seated comfortably, flipped open her script.
Suddenly, Janice leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "Eileen, don't you think Mr. Chester seems quite fond of you?"
Eileen replied with a toss of her hair, "Naturally. I'm more delightful than spring flowers. Who wouldn't admire me?"
Janice rolled her eyes, pointing to a pen on the table next to them. "That's Mr. Chester's, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is," Eileen acknowledged.
She had misplaced her pen and was about to ask Janice to fetch a new one when Chester, overhearing, offered his own.
Janice clicked her tongue, "That's no ordinary pen. It's pricey, over a thousand at the boutique."
Eileen's eyes widened. A thousand for a pen? Is it encrusted with diamonds?
She scrutinized the pen from every angle, searching for its extraordinary feature.
Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen ï¤Chapter 328 Then, Janice dropped another bombshell, "And Eileen, Ms. Paulina seems pretty fond of Mr. Chester."
Eileen blinked, puzzled. "So?"
Janice shook her head, "Haven't you seen it? You've unwittingly found yourself in a love triangle."
Eileen gasped, "Holy moly!"
She pointed at a safety sign on the wall, her voice laced with mock urgency, "No wonder the studio insists on 'No flammable or explosive items on set.' I knew it! I'm just too darn explosive. It was bound to cause a stir!"