The distance between them suddenly closed, and Eileen felt a cold sweat trickle down her back. It was an uncomfortable feeling.
"Hey, are you deaf or something?" Eileen suddenly shouted into Egbert's ear.
The man frowned, straightened up, touched his ear with his other hand, and said, "I thought men were supposed to take care of ladies?"
"I don't need your care," Eileen replied. "Can you back off a bit? You're too close."
Egbert sighed, looking a bit helpless, and finally backed off a bit.
Just then, Hubery finally managed to squeeze through the crowd. He saw Eileen and was about to speak when he noticed Egbert in front of her. He closed his mouth, then noticed the distance between Egbert and Eileen. They were standing too close.
Given that Eileen was his fiancée, Hubery was not pleased. He didn't think Egbert was intentionally getting close to Eileen, instead, he felt Eileen was taking advantage of the crowded situation to get close to Egbert.
He was pissed and seeing no cameramen nearby, he called out to Eileen, "Come here."
Eileen looked at Hubery, seemingly surprised, then she pointed at her nose and asked, "Me?"
Hubery scowled, "Who else, come here!"
Egbert suddenly turned his head, his eyes flashing coldly as he looked at Hubery.
Hubery continued to shout at Eileen, "Are you coming or not?"
Eileen raised her head to look at Egbert, "Is it me who's dreaming, or him?"
"What are you talking about?" Hubery was confused.
Eileen looked sad, "He's lost it. He actually thinks I'd listen to him. Just thinking about spending the next few days with this dumbass, I feel so screwed. Egbert, do you think we should inform the production team and ask them for a new guest?"
"Eileen!"
Egbert suddenly laughed, "We could give it a shot."
Hubery was stunned, he looked at Egbert, visibly surprised.
Eileen paused as well, she was just talking off the cuff and didn't expect Egbert to agree with her. She turned to Hubery, "Stop hovering around me, I really can't stand you."
"Fine! You're so great, Eileen, good job!" Hubery huffed and stormed off.
Eileen watched his retreating figure, then turned back to Egbert. Why was he helping her?
After a while, the crowd in the carriage started to thin out. Eventually, they got off and once outside the station, Phyllis shivered in the cold. Looking at the deserted streets, she asked cautiously, "Are you sure there's a hotel here?"
Eileen led the way, pulling her suitcase, not turning back. They walked for about ten minutes before stopping in front of a shabby-looking guesthouse.
The guesthouse sign creaked ominously, and Phyllis looked scared, "Are we really staying here?"
The door creaked open and an elderly woman with white hair came out. She looked frail but had a warm smile, she asked in perfect French, "Ms. Lopez?"
"That's me," Eileen stepped forward to speak to her.
Soon, a man came out from the guesthouse to help them with their luggage.
Despite its exterior, the guesthouse was very clean on the inside. The hosts had prepared dinner for them, and seeing the food, Phyllis's stomach growled.
After everyone had settled their luggage, they gathered around the dining table. The guesthouse was run by the old woman and her son, who only talked to Eileen. Once the old woman left, Bblythe asked nervously, "Eileen, we won't be charged extra for this meal, will we?"
Eileen picked up her cutlery and replied calmly, "Eat up, the lodging fee includes three meals."
"How much is the lodging fee?"
"It's free."
"Free again?" Phyllis cut into her steak in surprise, "How do you manage to get free accommodation everywhere? I remember giving you twenty-five euros this morning and until now, we've only spent four euros."
Eileen just glanced at her.
Phyllis continued, "We've only spent four euros today, we're a group of six, and last night's dinner alone cost twenty-five..." She stopped abruptly and sneaked a glance at Hubery.
Hubery looked uncomfortable but he knew among them, Phyllis was the only one who still bore him goodwill. He forced a smile, "It's okay, it's my fault for not managing the budget well. Last night's dinner was indeed a bit pricey. But, Ms. Lopez, why is this guesthouse free? The production team made it clear that we couldn't take advantage of locals. If found out, we'd have to compensate double the accommodation fee and our travel budget for the next episode would be deducted."
Everyone immediately turned to look at Eileen nervously. Only Egbert continued to eat leisurely, not worried like everyone else.
Eileen popped a piece of steak into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed before looking at everyone, her face expressionless, "Someone died here."
Everyone fell silent.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen