He Was Almost Absorbed By The System - Part Two

Chapter One Hundred And Ninety Five - Rumours Of Divorce

So about those rumours...

The Canterbury family was said to be able to claim links to the royal family of the empire, but actually that cousin of the great grandfather of the current patriarch was the bastard and unrecognised seed of the four son of the second princess who wed a commoner she had fallen in love with.  She and her husband had to swear away their rights to royal titles and the throne in order for their marriage to be recognised.

There was also a relative many generations ago who held the title of Baron before the Union abolished titles, however his grandfather's father in law had actually purchased the title from the true blue blooded line who happened to be very poor, thus the title had become an empty thing.

The Canterbury family also claimed that they could prove their family line was unbroken since the days humans only claimed their birth planet of Earth.  This might have been true, but what was conveniently forgotten was that those ancestors that emigrated to the stars were convicts sent to a penal colony.

Well it's not uncommon for those with ancestry to stretch the truth to suit themselves... it's not as if they've lied technically.

Hmm, but there are rumours regarding their links to the shadow network...

These rumours were actually false. They had no actual links to the shadows, those that operated in not in the light of the sun, but in the dark of the night or within the shadow of the moon. Illegal activities, such as the black market, the flesh trade and hired killers. No, they had no blood links nor business that could be traced back here, but like many wealthy and elite families, having no actual links did not mean that you could not hire ones operating in the shadows...

Boring. Is there, at least, some illicit business in their background or have they been found liable for some disgusting practices?

The Canterbury family could proudly hold up their heads and state that their businesses were completely law abiding. They had never broken a law whether it involved their clients, their employees or small companies they have had joint ventures with. They had never found a need to, not when there were loopholes to exploit, not when abusing moral responsibilities were not technically against laws. They also had a flurry of lawyers beneath their wings, who would attempt to sue them even if they had?

However, such a family brought children into this universe who had a sense of entitlement; a belief that what they wanted, they should get and this sense strengthened with each and every generation. It was particularly strong in the third granddaughter of the current head of the Canterbury family; Destiny Canterbury.

If she wanted a particular doll, she would be given that doll. If she wanted a planet, she would be given a planet. As she wanted to be a galactically known actress, all sorts of drama tutors, singing coaches, etiquette teachers and the like were hired for her until she was deemed ready to take up the small role bought for her in a multi-trillion blockbuster. She shocked the other actors and actresses when she showed up on set with her personal make up artist and her manager, despite the part having just six lines over two scenes.

With the exposure from the movie and several other roles snatched away from talents by her glorious self, she soon formed a persona in the hearts and minds of the general populace and it was a good one. She was seen as a beautiful, honest young woman, who just happened to be a little sheltered by her wealthy family. Her heart was in the right place, others would say. She wore her mask well.

When Dominic Monticello was scouted by her entertainment company, she was already well known and had trillions of fans. Their paths would not cross for a while, but he did catch her eye when he appeared in an advertisement for a beverage and then again when he took on a small role in a drama. Their first encounter was actually during a movie shoot and their characters would meet, however briefly, for his was just the third Male lead to her first female placement and during that scene, she decided he would be hers.