Chapter 2: The Launch Party

Lulu gave her fans a wide smile and occasionally waved in their direction. She paused every couple of steps so that the reporters could get good photos of her. Every time she stepped forward with her left leg it would be exposed through the long slit of the dress she was wearing.

Her blonde hair was arranged on the top of her head with a few hairpins holding it together. The hairpins had pearls on them so they looked like they were deliberately put in their positions. She wore nude eyeliner and a very subtle eyeshadow to accentuate her blue eyes and light brown lipstick.

Her entire face looked ethereal. She was at the red carpet for a while as she received love confessions from her fans to which she responded with a mischievous wink leaving them stunned for a good amount of time before they continued professing their love for her.

Eventually, she had to go into the building for the party leaving the noisy crowd outside. Her manager quickly ushered her to the party and left after he made sure she was doing okay. In the party she greeted many well-known businessmen, there were also a few people from her circle that were present.

She knew that there was a good number of celebrities who became celebrities as a hobby, or as a way to satisfy their own vanity so she was not surprised. Even though she was very financially stable, seeing as the pay for her current endorsement deal would be able to let her live luxuriously for the rest of her life, she did not come from a well off family.

She grew up in an average family and she was an only child. Her parents ran a small restaurant together that generated enough revenue to keep them comfortable. Unfortunately, they both passed away two years prior to a car accident that made her go into a hiatus for an entire year before she was well enough to go back to work. She could not help but feel regretful that she had so much now but she had no one to share it with.

"Lulu, you are finally here," Peter said and presumptuously wrapped his arm around her waist. Lulu shivered in disgust before stepping away from his reach. Her action made him frown but he did not say anything.

"Good evening Mr Maxia" Lulu said coldly trying to create as much distance as possible.

"Lulu, don't you think you should treat me better? I worked so hard to convince my father to give you this endorsement deal" Peter said as he stepped closer to her.

"Then I should thank you Mr Maxia," Lulu said as she retreated another step. Peter frowned when he saw this but did not make trouble for her.

"What about a toast?" Peter said and picked up two glasses of champagne and handed it to her.

Lulu had no reason to refuse and reached out to take the glass from his pudgy hands. He deliberately touched her fingers as she took the glass causing her to almost release the glass she was already holding in her hands.

Peter gave a fake smile and stretched his hand for a toast. Lulu returned his smile and toasted him before drinking the champagne. Peter watched her empty the glass and couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face.

His eyes roamed over her body when she wasn't looking and he noticed that the necklace she was wearing was the one that they had sent for her to wear. He frowned when he saw that the clear diamonds that were originally on the necklace were now rubies.

He wondered whether the necklace was stolen before it reached her and she was instead given a false necklace. After thinking about for a day he could not figure it out so he excused himself before he went to look for the people responsible.

Lulu sighed in relief when he finally left and continued to mingle with the people at the party. The party continued on splendidly with the chairman giving a speech about the product and some talk about company politics which she was not interested in. She was gradually growing tired and she really felt like leaving the party soon.

She did not feel suspicious at all about her fatigue and masked it perfectly as she continued to smile and talk to people. When her body started feeling warm that was when her suspicions arose. Especially due to the fact that the necklace had become very hot and was almost scalding her skin.

She couldn't help but wonder whether the product was defective. She tried taking it off but it would not move from its position. After struggling for a bit she had decided to give up as she had started feeling dizzy and she had broken out into a cold sweat.

At this point, she remembered Peter's face when she was drinking the champagne he had given her and she grit her teeth in anger. Her manager was not around, and the party was taking place in the hotel, it was so easy for her to be taken advantage of, therefore she decisively decided to leave.

She grabbed the wall and occasionally leaned on it for support as she made her way outside the hall where the party was still in full swing. As she reached the exit, she heard Peter call out for her. She immediately got anxious and rushed out of the exit to avoid him. There were stairs right in front of the door and as she tried to run down the stairs, her high heels got caught in her long dress and she ended up falling down the stairs.

Her body continuously rolled down the stairs with the long train of her dress slowly cocooning her as she seemed to fall in slow motion. She tried to stop her descent but it only resulted in her making impact on the next stair with her head first, twisting her neck in the process.

Her world completely blacked out when she was close to the bottom of the long flight of stairs and her body limblessly collapsed on the floor. Everyone at the party was stunned, even Peter was surprised by the sudden accident.

The waiters rushed down the stairs to check on her and found that she was not moving. They saw that she looked completely different as if all the vitality and life force was sucked out of her body.

"This-" one of the waiters started but couldn't help but stop talking because he was uncertain of what he should say.

"Is she alright?" one of the guests asked.

"I think she's dead," one of the waiters said as he looked at her neck was strangely twisted. The whole place sunk into a deafening silence.

"Dead?" Peter repeated before sitting down. Even though he was a scumbag he really liked Lulu, otherwise, where would he find the patience of pursuing her for ten years? He did not think that the act of trying to take advantage of her would end up like this!

"I called an ambulance," one of the guests said even though he knew that it was of no use. It was on that day that the greatest actress of the 24th century had died.