Page 42 of My Off Limits Billionaire Boss

“We are using renewable farming, we are harvesting cork, it is a better material. It prevents animal cruelty, it’s sustainable…”

“Spare me the nonsense Mr. Knight! You swindled us. You gave us Spain, and you took Portugal, and the Council thought it was so generous of you. But now we know you are buying away all the forest land, you will become the largest controller of cork oak trees. I will say this once, I will not let you control the wonder material.”

Ethan Knight takes a fork and begins to eat.

“I am sorry,” says Foster, “how rude of me, please begin. These are the finest scallops you will find, and our chef is brilliant.”

I am looking at Ethan Knight, who nods at me to go ahead.

Are you sure about this? Foster freak did not poison it.

Foster takes a note of my reluctance and sounds insulted.

“Miss Banner, please eat. We are enemies for sure, but this is a neutral location as agreed upon by our ancestors. We don’t fight on water. Mr. Knight, have you not told Miss Banner yet?”

“Thank you, Mr. Foster.” I pick up the fork and take a stab at the buttery scallop, cooked, and broiled to perfection.

Oh my God, this is delicious! Enemy or not he has the best chef.

“Please pay my compliments to the chef Mr. Foster.” I raise a glass to him.

Foster is taken aback by my compliment but has the manners to lift his glass and nod back at me. “Will do Miss Banner. And if I may add, perhaps your presence in the future will have a moderating effect on Mr. Knight. I do hope to see you again.”

I just look at him. I am not sure what the hell to say to an enemy who has invited me back to his yacht.

But that civil moment is soon behind us.

Foster continues with the insanity. “Mr. Knight, did you not steal our renaissance collection before the art auction in London?”

“I personally authorized that robbery.” Ethan Knight looks proud as he smiles at the scowling host.

Foster is clearly an art lover. He cannot control the volume of his voice which rises in anger. “One of them is a REMBRANDT!”

He glances in my direction as I look at him with my mouth open.

Ethan Knight adds compliments to injury. “Love his work, especially the way he uses light and shadows.”

It is now dawning upon me that Ethan Knight, much like his enemy, operates outside the law. I am now beginning to understand what he meant by‘no going back.’

“By the way your collection of sports cars in Dubai, we had their engines removed. They are not going anywhere. You’ll have to postpone the auto-show.”

That gets to Ethan Knight. “Those are vintage!” He throws down a napkin. “Mr. Foster, have you no respect for history and culture!”

Foster looks at me while pointing at Ethan Knight, “look who is talking.”

Is Foster attempting to get my agreement on any of this? I dig my fork into another scallop.

Ethan Knight is furious. “Those cars…there are engineering techniques that cannot be replicated! I hope your team knows that they must be kept in a temperature-controlled environment!”

I place my hand on his knee, and it does have a calming effect as I see his face softening. Both men seem to annoy the hell out of each other, while sharing a meal. Just a normal billionaire’s reunion, I guess. Foster speaks in a business-like voice that carries an ominous threat.

“These are small issues, and we’ll let our staff deal with these. But I am warning you plainly sir,” he points a finger at Ethan Knight, “we are not going to allow you free rein in the leather industry. We will fight you tooth and nail unless you give up those beloved oak tree forests farms of yours. We want at least fifty percent from the Alentejo Region.”

Ethan Knight is blunt. “Denied. Come back with a better offer Mr. Foster.”

And that’s how the meeting ends.

ARRIVAL AT THE KORRINA

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