Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen novel Chapter 318

Eileen was silent, her eyes wandering the room as if lost in thought.

She spun around, glaring at Egbert with a mix of annoyance and exasperation, "Who asked you to take charge?."

"Exactly." Flossie was the first to regain her composure after the shock of the revelation.

She spoke out loud, "Used protection, didn't you? No bun in the oven. You don't have to step up to the plate."

Eileen's silence returned, her gaze fixed on Flossie, unsure of what to do next.

Flossie walked over, took Eileen's hand, and said soothingly, "It's okay. Eileen, I was young once too. We're living in the 21st century. All of us older folks are pretty open-minded. I mean, who hasn’t had a few flings before settling down?"

Chad, standing not too far off, chimed in, "You didn't."

Flossie instantly snapped at him, "Mind your beeswax."

Chad shrunk back into silence.

Flossie continued to reassure Eileen, "You see, I was foolish enough to fall head over heels for my first love. Chad was my first, and did I draw the short straw? I never got the chance to play the field before tying the knot. Don't go making my mistake."

Eileen was at a loss for words. She struggled to clarify, "The video must have been edited wrong. We didn't buy any condoms."

Flossie froze, "You didn't use protection?"

Eileen remained silent.

Rosalind finally caught on and, as if resurrected from the dead, grabbed Eileen's hand, asking breathlessly, "Is that true?"

Eileen nodded vigorously, "We bought chewing gum. The editing's all messed up."

Rosalind exhaled deeply, visibly relieved to have survived the ordeal.

Meanwhile, Egbert, realizing his plan to stir the waters had failed, sat down in disappointment.

On the TV, Eileen and Egbert's episode concluded with the controversial condom aisle scene.

The continuation of their story would have to wait until next week.

As the show moved on to feature Aurora and Calvert, Rosalind, drained of energy, simply turned off the TV, unwilling to watch any further.

A peculiar silence descended upon the living room, likely due to the family's recent discussion of Eileen and Egbert's contraception debacle, leaving the atmosphere awkward and charged.

Karin then peeked her head from the second floor, calling out, "Eileen?"

Seeing Karin was like spotting a lifeline for Eileen, who responded eagerly, "Yeah, I'm here. I'm coming up."

With that, she scurried up the stairs, eager to escape the tension below.

Once Eileen left, all eyes in the room turned to Egbert.

Burton, less opposed to Egbert's involvement with Eileen, rose to his defense amidst the family scrutiny, stuttering, "Egbert, could you come upstairs and help me with my homework?"

Egbert gave Burton a look, then stood up and replied simply, "Sure."

After Karin had summoned Eileen upstairs, she revealed, "Eileen, Derek wants to see you."

Eileen, taken aback, glanced toward the study. A minute later, she entered the study to find Derek sitting behind the desk. The computer screen beside him still displayed the video from "Romantic Revelations," paused on the controversial condom shelf.

Eileen's heart skipped a beat, fearing Derek wanted to discuss that very issue.

Sighing, she braced herself to explain the situation once more, but instead, Derek picked up his teacup and gestured for her to sit on the couch.

Seated awkwardly, Eileen listened as Derek sipped his tea, asking, "It's brewed with the Western method, right?"

Eileen nodded and offered to make him a fresh cup, only to be stopped by Derek, who didn't want to let her out of his sight, given the recent family turmoil.

Derek, noticing Eileen's discomfort, reassured her that Rosalind was just worried and hoped it wasn't too much of a bother.

Eileen looked up at Derek, who was so different from the father she remembered, and her heart ached.

Without her around, Derek had aged, with white hair at his temples and wrinkles etching his face.

It wasn't just Derek, but Rosalind as well, who had given birth to her at an advanced maternal age back in the day, and neither of them was getting any younger now.

Feeling a little hard inside, Eileen said, "It doesn't bother me."