Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 257

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.

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.

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."