George had to wake up early for her daily run.

She dressed up in a pair of old jogging shoes, a shirt and a pair of shorts.

Tippy was already up when she walked out of her room, her steps careful so she would not wake the devil sleeping two doors away from hers.

“Miss Georgina! You are up so early! Do you need anything? Can’t you sleep?”

“I wake up early for a run,” George explained. “I’ll probably need a heavy breakfast once I get back,” she said, checking her watch. It was four-thirty in the morning. “I’ll be back in about an hour. What time does your boss wake up?”

“Sir Jordan? Around five or five-thirty. He also runs, but not this early.”

“Well, I better go on then. I hope I don’t get lost.”

Tippy laughed. “I’ll open the gates for you.”

*****

I was too giddy when I saw the door open and Georgie went out. But then I saw what she was wearing and my bumpers fell. She was going on a run.

She’d not need me after all.

Hey, Georgie, what do you feel about driving me? You know, to see if I will actually run? I’ve been stuck to this place for more than a day now and I don’t think my engines are used to such a long rest. I tell you, Georgie, I may not start when you want me to!

I heard the BMW snort.

Oh, so now you are talking to me?

It did not answer but gave another snort.

Georgie was led by the help named Tippy and she was gone for her morning run.

Fiiiiine, leave the poor Beetle Volkswagen behind. I never expected this to happen to me. I have had a lot of adventures in the past and this was by far the most unwanted one of all. Georgie, how could you do this to me?!

*****

George lost her way around the large subdivision for a while but finally managed to make her way back after almost an hour of running and clearing her mind. She needed to release her extra energy in case she felt the urge to punch Jordan again so he would not end up dead this time.

Her friends would kill her if she did not give them a reply today.

She had not touched her phone at all, knowing she would find get more questions. She just hoped that they would not come barging in to check if she was okay.

She almost bumped against Jordan when she entered the gate.

“You went out running?” he asked.

“No, I was actually just on my way back from dumping a body I happened to kill last night when I got bored,” she answered sarcastically.

“I don’t think I’ll ever get your humor,” he said with a tinge of smile on his lips. Again, it changed his unappealing face in a big way. But it was gone the moment she noted it. Again.

He was dressed for a run. He had a fit body, one she had already noted since they met. He surely took good care of himself. Probably because he was too afraid to lose all his money at an early age.

George did not say anything more and walked past him.

“Just ask Tippy and the others if you want to have your breakfast,” he said behind her.

“I already did,” she answered, brushing her hand over Toto’s hood as she passed by.

*****

Okay, Georgie, I take back all the bad words I had been throwing your way since you left.

You still care for me, don’t you? So, are we going driving?

The BMW snorted once more.

What’s wrong with you, Vicky? Jealous?

For the first time, she spoke to me and she told me she doesn’t have a name and that I should stop calling her Vicky.

Why not? You don’t have a name. You deserve one.

She said Jordan wouldn’t want a name and so I should stop talking. She added she wanted peace.

You know, if you want some peace, I should ask Jackie to try to stab your wheels. She’s good at it.

She asked me who Jackie was.

Jackie, Dannie and Georgie are my babies, Vicky. You should meet them soon.

She said she was not sure if that was ever going to happen.

Sure it can. Just you wait. You want to hear some awesome stories about them? I have a lot to tell you and I have all day to do that.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was how I became friends with Vicky, the snobbish BMW.

*****

Her breakfast was quiet and good.

She decided to answer her friends’ messages while gulfing down two cups of rice and some corned beef which Dioning served for her.

Jackie and Dannie wanted details of her day with Jordan and she gave them a short reply that it was okay. She didn’t want them to worry.

Troy’s message made her smile. He asked if Jordan was still alive and she answered, ‘Unfortunately, yes.’

Dean also sent a message asking her to answer Jackie’s texts because his girlfriend was about ready to drag him to Ayala if she did not get a text from George anytime soon.

Her Red Cross co-workers asked if she was going to be back on Monday because she had a full schedule. One asked if she was okay and she answered that she was just processing some personal stuff.

Once she was done, she put her phone away and finished her breakfast.

Jordan came back all sweaty and went straight to his room to change. She had already changed into her pants, shirt and walking shoes after her shower and was just waiting for him to say they had to go.

He managed to finish his breakfast in record time while George checked on Toto’s engines. He had the tendency to act out when his engine was not in use for more than a day.

Jordan walked out of the front doors dressed for office and without a word, George climbed inside his BMW.

“What are those?” he asked, looking at her laptop and notebook.

“I also have work to do, you know,” she answered. “And I don’t intend to just sit around all day in your office doing nothing but drinking coffee and eating burritos.”

He did not comment but he checked his phone before he turned on the ignition.

George happened to catch a glance and saw that he was chatting with Cassie.

She did not mind and turned her attention back to her own world.

She had to visit her mother this weekend, she thought. For now, she had to think of the things she had to say in a way that her mother would not get a hint of what she was really planning.

*****

Back in his office, George noticed that Mildred was curious as to why she was there again.

It was proof that Jordan did not give his workers any hint of his personal life, which was understandable.

She was not sure she would love the thought of everyone learning about her supposed engagement to their big boss.

George settled in the couch and started working immediately. She had a list of activities she needed to polish before she went to work. Her schedule for the ambulance runs, her classes, and the simulation activity that would follow. She also had to check on the messages she received from other communities, asking if she and her team would be willing to go to their provinces to give trainings. She would have to check on her boss for that, she thought.

When she was done fixing her schedule for next week, she looked up and caught Jordan looking at her from behind his desk.

“What?” she asked.

Caught off guard, he looked away and returned his gaze to his computer. “Nothing. I just realized you must also be a very busy person.”

“Not as busy as you,” she answered, leaning back against the couch. “I am done with work.”

He frowned. “You finished whatever you were working on in just an hour?”

George shrugged. She actually had other things to do such as the module she was writing for the updated version of their trainings, but she didn’t want to explain everything to him. “Yes,” was her answer.

“Lucky you,” he murmured.

“And you are busy. So get back to work so we could go back to your place early.”

He did not say anything more. After a few seconds, she was the one staring at him. He was not on the phone doing some meeting. He was in front of his computer, his face full of concentration. She noticed that his eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed when he was in his computer mode. He would start typing from time to time, but most often, he hand was on the mouse.

From time to time, he would pick up his phone to order Mildred to print or fax some documents.

And when he was done, George thought he would go on a break.

He didn’t. He grabbed his iPad and started tapping and swiping.

He positioned his iPad beside his computer screen so it faced him and started working on the computer again.

George rolled her eyes. She had to do something. She opened her computer and went online. For about an hour, she was able to update herself with the latest gears for wall climbing, the most expensive hiking apparels and the greatest adventure places in the Philippines, most of which she had already been to.

“Are we going to get lunch yet?” she asked aloud when she finally closed her computer’s lid.

Jordan was frowning at his iPad and did not hear her.

“Hey, Jordan, are we eating or not? Just say so because I really need to eat now.”

“In a moment,” he answered.

“You brain is probably screaming in hunger right now.”

Finally, he sighed and looked at her dryly. “You crave for food that much?” he asked.

“I crave for food all the time,” she answered.

“Fine, let’s go,” he stood up just as when his phone started to ring. Not his office phone, but his iPhone.

George groaned when he picked it up.

“This will take just a minute.” She waited but he stood there looking at her, waiting.

“What?”

Jordan sighed. “Fine. I’ll take it outside. Stay here.”

George did as he said. It was probably Cassie calling him from somewhere. Did he really need that much privacy?

Without anything to do, she stood and stretched her legs. She was really hungry and if he didn’t come back anytime soon, she would have to go out on her own.

She walked to his desk, curious as to what he had been working on. If it was a crime to look into his work, he should not have left it open in the first place, she reasoned as she looked at his computer screen.

As expected, it was close and password-protected.

The iPad was open though and what she saw made her jaw drop.

He was playing Clash of Clans? The bastard had been playing Clash of Clans while working?

Pissed that he had made her wait in hunger for this game, she took the iPad and started doing risky battles, sending all his troops in a suicide mission.

He had a very good defensive strategy back in his camp and she removed all walls he had placed around the important structures and removed the canons to the farthest side of the camp.

She was aware that what she was doing was wrong, but she was hungry and pissed. And she was bored so she better make fun of the only person who had been causing her boredom.

She quickly returned the iPad on its proper place and ran back to her couch before he returned.

When he did, he looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Ready?”

“Ever since my stomach grumbled,” she answered and watched as he walked back to his desk to grab his iPad without looking at the screen.

She regretted what she did just a little because Jordan would surely find out about it during lunch.

*****

And find out he did.

“You touched my Pad, didn’t you?” he accused.

They decided to get lunch at Sanders and the man who was familiar with her and her friends had been looking at her curiously. Surely, he was wondering why she was with this angry guy holding an iPad.

George looked at him squarely in the eyes. “You mean I touched your game? Yeah, I did. I was pissed.”

He must not have expected her to admit her crime because he was speechless for a few seconds.

“You touched my Pad without asking permission?”

George nodded. “As I said, I was pissed.” She grabbed helped herself with her chicken pesto and cheese.

“And why were you pissed?” he demanded, setting down his iPad beside his plate.

“Because you kept me waiting while you played.”

“Because I kept--” he did not finish as he looked around in disbelief. “It was not that long.”

“It was long, I tell you.”

“I can’t believe this,” he uttered.

“I can’t believe it either. You can put that in the list of reasons why we can never work. We will present them to the folks after three months.”

“Present what?”

“A list of why we cannot marry each other.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes,” George answered with her mouth full. “Stop talking to me. I am eating. It is rude.”

Jordan stared at her, his eyes glinting with anger. “You will fix my camp tonight or you will pay.”

“Don’t be childish.”

“What you did was childish. Don’t ever touch my things again.”

“Fine.”

Satisfied, he shook his head and continued eating. “I am serious when I said you’ll fix my camp later.”

“Okay, fine! But you also said not to touch your things.”

“Without my permission.”

“Fine. I’ll fix your damn camp.”

*****

“You’ve been on that game for hours,” Jordan told her later.

“I like it. I have been raiding other camps and you have loads of money now. You should thank me.”

“Just make sure to keep the defenses strong. Did you bring back the walls?”

“Yes, I did, sire. Your villagers are safe,” she said with a mocking male voice.

Jordan shook his head and continued working. “You have to give me back my Pad later.”

She did not answer. She was busy deploying troops to raid another village.

*****

The rest of the week went okay, but boring.

Whenever she showed any signs of boredom, Jordan would tell her to play his games for him, even Hay Day.

It showed her another side of him that was not expected at all.

There was a man who was mean and cold to his workers and those he made business with and he was playing such games. She was not sure how it helped her impression of him. For all she knew, she was getting confused as to who Jordan Ledesma really was.

But there was still the fact that she could not see him as someone she could be with for the rest of her life. His life revolved around ordering people around, doing intense meetings and typing away on his computer.

Sure, he played games on his iPad. But she could easily get bored with those things. She wanted to get out there and see the world, experience the extremes. Jordan was not like that.

In the five days she had spent with him, the only physical activity she saw him do was run.

No other sports. His hobby was his job.

That would not be enough for her.

Five days and she was already feeling suffocated.

*****

By Friday, I was pretty sure Vicky was infatuated with me.

Who wouldn’t, right?

She was so engrossed with my history and the places I had been to. She was most especially fond of my last owner and the things we did together. She was interested in Jackie and I told her all the crazy things Jackie did as well. Dannie did not appeal to her much because I blocked all questions about Dannie baby. I was not ready to spill everything to Vicky yet. We had only known each other for five days. I was not giving her everything.

See? I could be a gentleman, too!

And about the other car, the Fortuner, it still wouldn’t speak to me. Vicky told me in secret that it had always been moody and they never really spoke before. Yes, she thought that the Fortuner was a he, but I should not get my hopes up.

We’ll see, Vicky, we’ll see, I had told her.

The next day, Vicky was almost crying all her gas out because she said she’d miss my stories.

I will try to see you next week if I can help it. I will tell you everything that happens with these two, Vicky. They will be spending the week together at our place and your owner will have a hell of a time.

Georgie drove away very early. It was obvious that she was in a hurry to leave Ayala.

I was actually getting comfortable there, you know. I could get used to it if you decide to marry that bastard, Georgie. But okay, I am with you and not marrying him. Vicky might be a big loss, but I love you boys more than any other vics out there. I offer you all my parts, rusted and not, because I am with you until the end, Georgie.

When I thought we were going to go home to the apartment, I was wrong.

It seemed that we were going out of town to visit her family again.

It was only lately that I learned why Georgie would visit her family home out of town despite the fact that she didn’t like them. It was because of Vivienne, her sister.

I had met Viv a couple of times, but not lately. Not when Georgie started to have more troubles with her family.

And I wondered what she had in stored for me this time.