Free The TROUBLE With BILLIONAIRES: Book 1 by Kristina Blake

pair.”
    “Thank you.”
    Adjusting the glasses to my own head, I peered through the lens…and gasped. The telescope was zoomed out, leaving the stars shapeless except for their bright light, but it was as if I floated among them, lost in a beauty I didn’t fully understand.
    Wonderlust , I thought, thinking of the security guard at Cepheus Scientific.
    Clearly, Dr. Giordano had manipulated the laser and mirrors so that they somehow sensed the object in the lens, giving it a 3D effect, but the science of such engineering still baffled me. And in the same way, awed me.
    “You’ve created something incredible here,” I said.
    Rawn stepped forward. “Incredible enough that we’re willing to offer you a fortune for it. You’ll never have to invent another thing again.”
    I cringed. Rawn may be gifted when it came to fixing flaws in product designs and recognizing potential within a product, but he was clueless when it came to working with people like Dr. Giordano—those who existed off the grid.
    “I think what Mr. Jackman means is that you’ll have the freedom to work on any invention you want. The money can buy all the materials you need. We recognize how important your inventions are to you.”
    Dr. Giordano took back control of the telescope. “Enough to market it to the public?”
    “Unfortunately, that’s not an option,” Rawn answered.
    “Then signing with you isn’t an option for me. I’ve told you—no matter how big the check is, it isn’t big enough to buy out my beliefs. I will happily die a poor man if it means my work reaches those who appreciate it the most.”
    “Let me assure you, we do appreciate it,” Rawn told him.
    “Not enough.”
    Knowing the battle had been lost well before we even left for Italy, I tried another tactic. “May I?” I asked, reaching for the telescope again.
    “If you must.”
    Swinging the telescope around to the Northern sky, I searched for a very important constellation. “Come have a look,” I prompted Rawn, holding the 3D glasses out to him.
    He did, bending low to look through the lens. I heard him murmur softly in awe as he did.
    “The cluster of stars that look like a house with arms—that’s actually the King,” I told him. “Also known as Cepheus, of whom the company we work for is named after. In Greek mythology, Cepheus was the king of Aethiopia. His wife was Queen Cassiopeia, his daughter Princess Andromeda—now all constellations in the night sky. Cassiopeia angered the god Poseidon by claiming her daughter to be fairer than his water nymphs, and so Poseidon sent a sea monster to destroy Aethiopia. The fate of the kingdom seemed hopeless, until an oracle told Cepheus that to save his people he must sacrifice his daughter. And so he did, chaining her to a rock. Just as the sea monster rose from the depths of the ocean to slaughter Andromeda, the hero Perseus arrived and destroyed the creature.” I paused to stress my point. “At times, a king may think he’s doing what’s best for his kingdom, but really he’s just sacrificing something wonderful.”
    Dr. Giordano patted me on the back. It was such as simple gesture, but it moved me. I figured he was a man that reserved such gestures for those he considered worthy.
    Rawn stood tall, taking everything in. “This really does have personal meaning to you, doesn’t it, Dr. Giordano?”
    “My wife is up there—amongst those stars. I want everyone to see her. I won’t break on this. I’m as stubborn as that mule over there,” he said, pointing to the donkey, now curled into an old car engine, asleep.
    “When are you due to sign with the Germans?”
    “Tomorrow.”
    Rawn sighed, looking up into the sky, conflicted. “Don’t,” he finally said. “We’ll market the telescope to the general public. You’ll have your wish. What’s your wife’s name?”
    “Alessandra.”
    “Then, I introduce you to the Alessa 3D X100. She’s not as beautiful as the original, but I’m sure