Jungle Corp – CEO on Death Island

Chapter 8: The Monster's Husband

"The left leg, or the right leg, my Husband?" repeated Xara.

The exotic woman's voice sounded gentle, but her threat successfully made Arthur's blood feel like it stopped flowing. His shirt collar choked his neck even more. The CEO's sky-high prestige went straight into the trash can that very second. Faced with pure muscle, a pointless debate using corporate law articles clearly wasn't going to work.

"Okay, okay! Put me down first!" Arthur patted Xara's muscular arm in a panic. "We are adults, let's settle this at the negotiating table, not with a physical fight!"

Xara snorted in amusement, but slowly loosened her grip. Arthur landed on the ground with slightly trembling legs, hurriedly straightening his shirt collar while clearing his throat to restore the remnants of his shattered dignity.

Arthur's capitalist brain spun as fast as a supercomputer. He had to find a loophole to cancel this "hostile takeover".

"Listen, Xara. The offer to be your husband is... very flattering, an honor," Arthur began the negotiation, putting on the most serious face possible. "But you have to understand my position. I am the CEO—I mean, Mr. Boss here. My workload is incredibly heavy. I have to manage the HRD, the Asset Acquisition Department, all the way to drafting the village logistics report. My schedule is full! If I become your husband, that's called a conflict of interest. My time will be used up, and the village operations could fall apart!"

Xara tilted her head, staring at Arthur with a furrowed brow. The complex vocabulary from this city man made her brain, which usually only thought about hunting, cramp up.

However, instead of backing down, Xara's facial expression actually turned flat. The barbarian woman stepped out of Arthur's hut, walking casually towards a young mahogany tree the size of an adult's thigh growing in front of the hut.

Arthur frowned in confusion. What is she doing?

Xara took a stance in front of the tree. Without any warning, she twisted her hips and unleashed a straight kick right into the tree trunk.

CRASH!

The solid mahogany tree snapped in two exactly like a crispy cracker stepped on by an elephant. The upper part toppled over and hit the ground until thick dust billowed, while the rest of the trunk shattered into pieces.

Arthur's eyes bulged in horror. His jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Xara turned around, dusted off her feet, then stared at Arthur with a deadly sweet smile.

"You said you're too busy taking care of the village to have time for me, right?" Xara said casually, pointing at the remains of the destroyed tree. "If you dare to reject my proposal again with the excuse of being busy, I will snap the necks of the people making you busy one by one like this tree. How about it? Still busy, my Husband?"

Arthur was instantly rendered speechless. Cold sweat the size of corn kernels slid down his temples rapidly.

At the same time, Arthur saw Grok—the Cannibal Commander whose body was as big as a bear—peeking from behind a neighboring hut. Instead of stepping forward to help his 'Mr. Boss', Grok was trembling in fear while biting his own finger. When their eyes met, Grok could only give a panicked head shake signal that seemed to say: Don't seek death, Boss! Just do what the Monster wants!

Instantly, Arthur realized one brutal fact: On this island, Xara's authority was much greater than Grok's, let alone the Chief's. She was the top of the food chain.

Arthur closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. His business instincts went back to analyzing the cost-benefit. This was a Hostile Takeover with his life at risk. The drawbacks: He loses his personal space, freedom, and dignity by being steered by his wife. The benefits: God-tier VVIP protection. If he officially becomes this monster girl's husband, there won't be a single creature on this island—whether wild beast or human—that would dare to touch a single hair on his head.

In the business world, if you can't fight an enemy that is too strong, you have to merge with them.

Arthur opened his eyes, then extended his right hand toward Xara in the elegant style typical of a conglomerate head.

"Alright. The merger offer is accepted," Arthur said, putting on the most convincing business smile he had. "Starting today, I am your husband. But on one condition: The operational management of the tribe remains under my control."

Xara didn't understand what a merger or operational management was. All she heard was the word "accepted".

A wide smile instantly bloomed on the wild woman's face. Without accepting Arthur's handshake, Xara instead lunged forward, hugging Arthur tightly, then patted the CEO's back forcefully.

Thump! Thump!

"Cough!" Arthur coughed hard. His ribs felt like they were going to fall apart, hit by excavator-like force disguised as an affectionate hug.

"Hahaha! A smart decision, my Husband!" Xara's laugh echoed throughout the village. "Starting tonight, you sleep in my hut. No refusals!"

That night.

The moon shone brightly in the sky over the Island of Death. But inside the largest hut belonging to the Tribe Princess, the atmosphere felt like hell to Arthur.

The former CEO of Sterling Group lay stiffly on the giant cot. His eyes bulged wide, staring at the hut's ceiling, completely unable to sleep. Severe stress was eating away at his sanity.

Next to him, Xara slept in a starfish position, taking up almost three-quarters of the bed. The barbarian woman's right arm lay heavily across Arthur's stomach, locking his body down like a circus seatbelt.

But that wasn't the most torturous part.

GRRRROOOKKK... KHRRRR...

Xara's snoring sounded incredibly brutal, beating the sound of a broken chainsaw. The hut even felt like it vibrated a little every time his wife drew a breath.

Arthur massaged his temples that were twitching violently. His head felt like it was going to split open. In the city, if an AC sounded even slightly un-smooth, he would immediately fire the technician. Now? He was forced to sleep next to a natural version of a heavy metal concert speaker.

"Dear God... what kind of trial is this," Arthur muttered in a quiet lament, trying to shift Xara's arm off his stomach but failing completely because it was so heavy.

While staring at the torchlight that was starting to dim, Arthur let out a long sigh. Yesterday he was only focused on thinking of ways to increase the village's productivity. But tonight, his priorities completely changed.

"I have to find a way to make a natural sleeping pill factory from jungle leaves," Arthur thought in frustration, starting to formulate an exit strategy to escape from this bear hug every night. "Victor... Chloe... I swear to the capitalist gods, I will make you suffer millions of times more than this girl's snoring."