Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen

Chapter 188

Eileen looked at Egbert with wide innocent eyes, keeping her mouth shut, opting for silence instead.

Egbert didn’t continue to berate her.

He let go of her hand, asking, “Aren’t you going to show me around?”

Eileen snorted. “You’re the one who restored this place, so don’t you already know what it looks like?”

Even though she said that, she still enthusiastically escorted Egbert around.

Pointing at a vase, she said, “Look at this vase, it was my grandma’s favorite! Let me tell you a secret, when she bought it, the seller told her it was an antique. She didn’t know any better and believed him, but it’s actually not an antique at all. Later, my grandpa swapped it with a real antique so she wouldn’t get upset when she found out.”

Eileen continued, “And this painting over here was done by my grandpa. I helped mix the paint. See this lively little kitty? I drew it. Well, it was with my grandpa guiding my hand, but it still counts!”

After a while, she said, “This is my dad’s collection room. Egbert, you are amazing. You managed to find so many old clocks! You must have spent a fortune, right?”

Egbert stood at the doorway, chuckling, “I didn’t actually spend that much.”

Eileen didn’t believe him, as vintage clocks are pretty pricey after all.

She made a mental note to repay him later.

Then, she took Egbert to see the other rooms.

From the first floor to the second, they toured every room.

The more Eileen saw, the more amazed she was. It looked exactly like it used to!

In disbelief, Eileen asked Egbert, “How did you manage this? Some of the things in the rooms aren’t exactly the same, but the living room is spot on. You’re incredible!”

Egbert enjoyed her admiring gaze, after a while he said, “I did it with a video.”

Eileen was puzzled, “Video?”

Egbert walked over to the TV, pulling out an old videotape from a drawer.

He slipped the tape into the VCR.

After pressing a few buttons, the VCR started playing. The screen flickered on, showing a somewhat worn-down image.

Eileen was staring at the screen, stunned.

Suddenly, a large face appeared on the screen. It was her dad!

Nathan had just bought a video camera, so he started by filming his own face, then turned it around to film the house.

After walking through every corner of the house, his hearty voice suddenly rang out, “Eileen, look what I bought.”

A moment later, a small head peeked out from the kitchen door.

Eileen’s

eyes widened. She was seeing her younger self.

She was probably four or five at the time, full of energy.

Wearing a pink dress, with little braids in her hair, she hopped out excitedly.

“Wow, a video camera…” the little girl stumbled into her father’s arms.

Nathan lifted his daughter up in his arms.

The little girl disappeared from the screen.

The camera started to shake as Nathan held it in one hand and his daughter in the other clearly struggling to keep it steady.

Then, the little girl’s voice rang out again, “I want to hold it, I want to hold it…”

Nathan’s indulgent voice replied, “It’s heavy, sweetheart.”

‘I want to hold it, daddy, let me hold it, I can handle it…”

The camera was handed over, it shook even more violently, suddenly it was falling towards the ground.

At the last moment, the camera was caught!

Then, Nathan’s mocking voice rang out, “Haha, I told you it was too heavy. Look at your short little fingers. Kids with short fingers never grow tall. Eileen, you’ll always be a shorty!”

She was suddenly being teased!

The little girl was not pleased, she huffed, “I’m not short…”

This only made her dad laugh harder, “Yes, you are!”

The little girl was angry, she shouted, “Grandma, daddy’s picking on me!”

From the kitchen, her grandma’s stern voice could be heard, “Nathan, if you dare bully my granddaughter again, I’ll kick you out!”

Nathan argued back, Your granddaughter is a little menace, I’m just disciplining her. Who would want to marry her with a bad temper like this?”

They don’t have to.”

From the other side, another lively elderly voice chimed in.

The camera turned to the balcony door, where Robin just finished watering the plants and was coming in with a watering can.

Robin said disdainfully, “Even if Eileen never gets married, I’d support her for a lifetime!”

Nathan complained, “Dad, it’s because you spoil her so much, she’s even bossing me around now.”

“You deserve it!” Robin scolded, “She’s your child, if anything you only have yourself to blame!”

The little girl chimed in, “Right, it’s daddy’s fault, daddy’s fault!”

“Alright, it’s my fault, huh?” Nathan suddenly shouted, “You little rascal, I’m going to throw you out, out you go, out you go…” “Hahaha”

The camera shook like it was on a roller coaster.

Nathan ran around the house with the little girl in his arms, pretending to throw her out.

In the video, the little girl’s laughter filled the house.

The video was paused.

Egbert put down the remote, turning to look at Eileen who was sitting on the couch.

Eileen didn’t speak, but she had her hands over her face, peeping through her fingers at the TV screen.

“Egbert.”

After a while, the woman’s hoarse voice rang out.

Egbert softly said, “I’m here.”

Eileen sniffed, suddenly dropping her hands, pointing at her wet eyes, “You happy now that you’ve made me cry?”

Egbert frowned, then stood up, walked over to her, cradled her face, and wiped her cheeks with his fingers. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Eileen pouted with a determined look in her eyes.

But her eyes were red, and her eyes were alarmingly wet.

Egbert sighed, as he gently pulled her into his arms, his hand on the back of her head, tenderly saying, “I found this videotape in the military’s storeroom, among your father’s belongings. He was in the army for many years, and some things he had never returned.”

Eileen buried her face in Egbert’s chest, using his shirt to wipe her tears and snot. She didn’t make a peep.

Egbert spoke again, “The tape had a lot of details about the house. I restored it based on those.”

Eileen choked up again, pushed Egbert away, cleaned her tears with the back of her hand, then said, “I know what you’re saying is true, but I never expected I was such a cutie when I was little.”

Egbert was taken aback, no reply came right away.

Eileen looked at Egbert, even though she had just been crying, her tone had calmed down a lot, “You know what? When I was little, I met this super cute little girl. She had big eyes, long eyelashes, and delicate skin. I asked if she was an angel. My dad said, ‘No, that’s called a mirror.”

Egbert was speechless.

Eileen said, ‘That little girl was me.”

Egbert was beyond speechless.

Seeing that Egbert is speechless, she suddenly burst into laughter, finding herself hilarious.

Egbert reached out his hand again, rubbing her eyes with the back of his hand, saying, “Okay, you’re the cutest.”

Eileen wiped her face again, then pushed Egbert’s hand away saying, “Play it again, I want to see more!”

Egbert frowned, “Are you sure?”

Eileen kept nodding, “I’m sure.”

In the end, Eileen watched it six times.

By the end of the sixth viewing, she was still crying her eyes out.

But then she noticed something else, “Why do I feel like I look so familiar when I was little?”

Egbert raised an eyebrow, “What?”

Eileen suddenly slapped her thigh, “I remember now, I look so much like Isabel, the little girl you brought last time, don’t you think we look alike?”