Catch Me, Iʼm Falling (A JHOLET AU)

Chapter One: New York

Cars honking, bustling streets, people heading off to their respective destinations—it was a typical day in the city that never sleeps.

Daylight hours were becoming noticeably shorter—a surefire sign that after what seemed to be a painstakingly long summer, they were finally transitioning into colder months. Unbeknownst to the person buried underneath the sheets, it was finally the start of her favorite season, autumn, and people like her were out and about enjoying the cooler temperatures outside.

Weak rays of sunlight streamed through the huge penthouse floor-to-ceiling windows, softly hitting the sleeping figure on the king-sized bed. The sleeping figure moved to the other side of the bed and muttered something unintelligible in her sleep. Her sudden movement effectively revealed half of her face as a part of the duvet slid off to the side. The soft rays of the sun bathed her face in a warm glow, making her tan skin seem soft and bright. It made her look vulnerable and innocent.

For a moment, time seemed to come to a standstill. She looked ethereal. She looked like an angel, with a mop of tangled silver hair strewn across her beautiful face and onto the pillow.

However, the magical moment was rather short-lived.

The cordless telephone on her bedside table started ringing, disrupting the silence of the vast but otherwise empty bedroom, save for the woman on the huge bed, still fast asleep and unaware of the incoming call.

The phone rang for a few more minutes.

Perhaps because of the sunlight on her face or because of the shrill, incessant ringing of the telephone, the sleeping figure finally stirred under the cocoon of blankets.

She groaned loudly, almost unwillingly tossing the duvet wrapped around her body to the side. Scrunching up her face in utter annoyance, Nicolette Vergara finally cracked her eyes open. She averted her gaze from the large glass windows, blinking frantically, confused by the sudden brightness.

She turned to the side to check the time.

The digital clock on her bedside table displayed 8:07 AM on a Monday. She groaned again, already feeling like sh*t. She only had a couple of hours of sleep, and she had some important things to attend to later in the day.

Without much of a choice, she sat up from her bed, eyes barely open, and answered the phone that was starting to irritate her.

“Good morning!” The person on the other side greeted her enthusiastically—perhaps a little too enthusiastic for Colet’s liking. She grunted, hearing the all-too-familiar voice of her secretary, Yves Ricalde. Colet sighed, rubbing her face absentmindedly.

“What is it this time?” Colet complained in a whiny voice thick with sleep. “I told you I would sleep in.”

“Forgive me, Miss Vergara, but this is rather urgent. I received a phone call from the main company while you were asleep, and they told me it was urgent and of utter importance, so I couldnʼt delay any longer.”

Colet groaned inwardly, rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Please, for the love of God, donʼt tell me itʼs my mother again. Has she been harassing you even though I turned her down?”

Yves sighed, sensing the barely controlled anger in Colet’s voice. “No, it was actually Miss Janna who called and asked for you; she said she had some important matters to discuss with you over the phone,” she explained patiently.

“Ate Janna?” Colet asked, surprised.

“Yes, she wants you to call her back immediately,” said Yves.

“If she calls again, please tell my sister that Iʼll talk to her when I have the time. I have some important appointments to attend to, so kindly clear my schedule for the day.”