Eileen was speechless.
"Damn it!"
She was almost fuming with anger.
Egbert took the phone from Galen's hand. The moment he did, the device snapped back to life, and the mysterious connection ended.
Egbert, looking serious, turned to Eileen and said, "This can't go on."
Galen stared at his phone, bewildered. "What just happened?"
Egbert didn't answer directly. Instead, he said, "I need to talk to her alone."
Galen rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll leave."
With a resigned sigh, Galen left the room, feeling as if he'd been exiled.
Once he was gone, Egbert gently cupped Eileen’s face, making her look into his eyes. "If I don't ask, you really won't tell me?"
Eileen hesitated, keeping silent. She simply tilted her head and puckered her lips playfully.
Egbert tapped her nose. "That trick won't work."
Eileen stood on her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on his lips.
Egbert shook his head. "Still not working."
Undeterred, Eileen wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him more deeply, letting her tongue tease his lips.
Egbert held her waist, accepting her affection.
After a few moments, Eileen pulled back, breathless.
Egbert, his forehead resting against hers, kissed her nose lightly and said, "Still not working."
Eileen was exasperated.
"...Then why are you kissing me back so eagerly?"
With a sigh, Eileen dropped her hands from around his neck, looking defeated. "It's... my mentor..."
Admitting to having a mentor was bad enough, but she had no choice.
Egbert had already suspected as much. He took her hand and guided her to sit on the sofa. "He's been contacting you?"
Eileen huffed. "You call that contacting? He's a complete nutcase!"
Egbert chuckled.
Eileen suddenly waved her phone in the air and shouted at it, "You hear me? Nutcase! Nutcase! That's what you are, you nutcase!"
Egbert was unfazed.
Turning Eileen's face towards him, he suggested calmly, "Maybe keep it down when you're out in public, or you'll look like the nutcase."
Eileen pouted, clearly annoyed.
Egbert gently stroked her hair. "We're in the dark here, without the right tools. It's normal not to be able to track him down."
Eileen understood but was frustrated. "So we just let him keep invading my privacy?"
Egbert pondered for a moment. "Should we report it?"
Eileen froze.
"Report it? Isn't that a bit extreme?"
Seeing her hesitation, Egbert began to sing softly, "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, reporting's not that far..."
"Report!" Eileen jumped up, furious, her temper flaring. "Do it now! I want to see you report it! Hurry!"
Egbert nodded and got in touch with the authorities. Since the conversation was confidential, Eileen had to wait outside.
Twenty minutes later, Egbert returned from the balcony, setting down his phone. He nodded to Eileen.
She hesitated. "Are they... going to arrest him?"
Egbert embraced her, kissing her forehead. "No, they're just going to check his identity and background."
Eileen relaxed a little, nodding.
In the following days, her mysterious mentor seemed to disappear, likely occupied by the authorities.
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