Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 265

In the control room, silence reigned.

The executive director and the assistant director stared at the monitor with faces as stiff as boards.

The girl on the screen was a beauty with an air of arrogance, ambition burning in her eyes and a mind full of schemes!

After rattling off a list of ransom demands without a hint of courtesy, she had the audacity to dismissively wave her hand.

At her signal, Hobson and Sylvia, each grabbed an arm of the crew member and hoisted him under the drone's camera, threatening him to plead, "Beg for mercy, will ya? Hear that?"

The crew member was on the verge of tears!

With watery eyes, he looked up at the drone and whimpered, "Director, save me, please..."

The assistant director was about to explode with anger! His hand shaking, he demanded, "What is this? Kidnapping?! Extortion?! Threatening us?!"

The executive director stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Seems so."

Then the assistant director snapped at him, "How can you be so calm?!"

The executive director blinked innocently and spread his hands, "What can I do?"

The assistant director was nearly choked by his response.

The executive director was useless. With no other options, the assistant director picked up the walkie-talkie and said to the crew member, "Link me to the drone. I need to talk to them!"

Eileen, growing impatient with the drone's lack of response, turned to the crew member and ordered, "Beg again, and make it sadder, or you'll get it!"

The crew member's heart was breaking as he tried to reason, "Eileen, the production team won't give you what you want. This is against the rules, please, just let me go..."

Eileen's voice was cold, "Let you go? Do I look like a saint?"

The crew member was close to tears.

Sylvia, a bit nervous, asked cautiously, "Eileen, what if they don't play along?"

Hobson, who had never been on the wrong side of the law, was feeling skittish too, "Yeah, what if they call our bluff and say we can harm him? We can't really kill someone, right?"

As Hobson spoke, the assistant producer, who had just connected the signal and was about to speak with Eileen, paused.

He put down his walkie-talkie and mused, "Yeah, they wouldn't really dare, would they?"

The executive director, recalling Eileen's notorious past he had hastily researched, shrugged, "She just might."

The assistant director scoffed, "That’s impossible. She would commit murder?"

...

"Why would I kill anyone?" Eileen heard Hobson's ludicrous question and chuckled, "Who told you that “it’s done for him” means killing?"

Hobson was puzzled.

Eileen looked up at the drone, "We're filming a show here. The premise is to capture our six guests. But if an extra crew member keeps hogging the camera, what's the deal? If you don't give me the goods, I'll just tie this guy to my belt and drag him everywhere. Let's see if you can still shoot your show!"

Hobson and Sylvia had an epiphany!

Back in the control room, the executive director slapped his thigh in admiration, "Brilliant!"

"Would you just shut up!" The assistant producer, horn in hand, roared into the executive director's ear, "Whose side are you on?!"

Startled, the executive director shrank back and kept quiet.

The assistant director refused, "Is this survival or a picnic? If we provide tents, there's no point in filming."

Eileen wasn't really after so much; she was testing the production team's limits. Seeing the assistant director wouldn't budge further, she said, "Then at least give us two blankets. We'll freeze at night with just our clothes."

The assistant director reluctantly agreed, "Two blankets it is."

Better than nothing. After some haggling, an agreement was reached.

An hour later, Eileen's makeshift shelter was up.

And from above, a helicopter delivered the negotiated supplies.

The production team, fearing another hostage situation, didn't send down a person but lowered the supplies by rope.

Eileen checked everything and, satisfied nothing was missing, grandly released the hostage.

The crew member scrambled onto the helicopter, eager to escape his captors.

The chopper door snapped shut with a definitive click, and the aircraft, as if chased by a pack of hounds, whizzed away into the distance until its exhaust fumes faded into nothingness.

Hobson and Sylvia gazed at the heap of supplies that had just been delivered. Hobson managed to keep his composure, but Sylvia couldn't contain herself. With unrestrained excitement, she let out a shriek.

She was so caught up in the moment that she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Hobson, and exclaimed with giddy delight, "Oh my God, Mr. Hobson, can you believe it? I'm so freaking happy!"

Egbert, who had been quietly tending to the fire nearby, caught the entire scene out of the corner of his eye. He arched an eyebrow, mulling over the scene for a brief moment before setting aside the stick he'd been using to poke the flames. He rose to his feet with a deliberate grace.

In one swift motion, he reached out and pulled Eileen towards him. Caught completely off guard, she looked at him with bewildered eyes, still trying to process what was happening. But before she could react, Egbert wrapped his arms around her slender waist, drawing her tightly against him.

Then, leaning close to her ear and mimicking Sylvia's earlier exuberance, he whispered playfully, "Ms. Lopez, I'm so freaking happy, too."