Egbert chuckled as he looked at Eileen, a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes.
"Indeed," he said with a fond smile, "I consider myself lucky to have you as my wife."
Eileen glared at Egbert, convinced that he was, once again, taking advantage of her.
Outside the mall, three sleek sports cars, sponsored by corporate patrons, stood ready.
Egbert and Eileen climbed into one, followed closely by a cameraman who took a backseat.
Before starting the car, Egbert stole a glance at Eileen, then leaned toward her unexpectedly.
As if predicted his action, Eileen quickly held out a hand to stop him. "I know how to fasten my seatbelt!" she protested, demonstrating her point by quickly buckling herself in.
"Are you happy now?" she asked after she finished, her tone half-exasperated, half-amused.
Egbert, one hand on the steering wheel, looked at Eileen with a helpless grin. Then, to her surprise, he reached out to brush something off her head.
"What was that?" Eileen asked, peering at the scrap of paper he tossed into the car's trash bin. She patted her head, muttering, "When did that get there?"
A quick glance around the open space where they were parked revealed a myriad of decorations: flowers, balloons, confetti. Eileen wondered if the paper scrap had come from there.
As Egbert fastened his seatbelt and started the car, he couldn't help but tease, "Been watching a lot of rom-coms lately?"
Eileen blushed. She knew he was referring to her earlier seatbelt incident – the common trope where the male lead suddenly leans into the female lead, causing her heart to race, only for him to help her fasten her seatbelt. It was a classic scene in many rom-coms.
"Mind your own business!" she retorted, her cheeks still flushed.
Egbert chuckled as he navigated the car around a corner. "So you enjoy those kinds of shows?"
"I swear, if you don't stop..." Eileen grumbled, "I only watch the news at home, you know that!"
Egbert paused, glancing at the cameraman in the rear-view mirror, who looked utterly bewildered.
Ignoring the cameraman's confused expression, Eileen moved on to a more pressing matter: navigation. After a failed attempt to turn on the car's built-in GPS, she decided to use Egbert's phone instead.
"Hand me your phone," she instructed.
Egbert, both hands on the wheel, replied, "It's in my pocket."
Eileen reached into his pocket to retrieve it, causing the cameraman's eyes to nearly pop out of his head.
She unlocked the phone with ease, which further shocked the cameraman. Eileen knew Mr. Reed's phone passcode?!
After inputting their destination into the phone's GPS, Eileen placed it on the dashboard for Egbert to view.
After a half-hour drive, they arrived at their destination - a neighborhood filled with luxurious houses, surrounded by lush greenery.
Egbert parked the car in front of a charming white villa. As Eileen stepped out of the car, she noticed the lawn was sprinkled with flower petals, and balloons were tied to the front door – it was like stepping into a wedding reception.
As she took in the festive decorations, Egbert approached her, asking, "What's the matter?"
Eileen curiously asked, "You think the inside is as festive as the outside?"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen