My Substitute CEO Bride (Nash Calicraft) novel Chapter 2478

"Wait." Nash caught an important detail. "You said after a hundred years... How long has it been since the last fruit matured?"

"Sharp as always," Huntley replied. He pointed to the calendar on the wall. "Two days from now, it'll be exactly a hundred years."

"So... that means we have less than three days left?" Nash muttered, realizing the gravity of the situation.

Huntley nodded. "But honestly, I haven't thought too much about it. The Celestial Tree has little influence over me. Right now, my only focus is on revenge. That's all that matters at this moment."

"Then... you don't know Maxim's true objective, do you?"

Huntley confirmed with a nod. "Exactly. I don't. But one thing I do know is that Maxim has also consumed the fruit. Still, he's... strange."

"Strange?" Nash raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Huntley explained. "He doesn't seem to be affected by the fruit's power. I'm not entirely sure what's going on with him, but I do know something for sure. It's about those four magic arrays."

Clinton pulled out several photos from his pocket. "These were taken from above. Have a look."

Huntley examined the photos, comparing them carefully. After a few moments, he said with certainty, "These four magic arrays are the same type. I've seen them recorded in my grandfather's notes."

"And what exactly is the purpose of the arrays?" Clinton asked.

Huntley paused for a moment, thinking before responding, "If I remember correctly, these arrays were used by the Celestial Tree to release celestial power."

"Release celestial power?" Nash echoed.

Seeing both men press him for answers, Nash relented. He felt there was no point in keeping it secret any longer. He had only kept it to himself earlier because it was hard to process at the time.

Nash said, "He told me a lot about the history of the Young family. Honestly, I don't think that's the important part. But something about his demeanor struck me as... odd."

"Odd?" Both Huntley and Clinton asked in unison.

Nash thought back to that moment. "Yeah. Maxim seemed so domineering before, but when it was just the two of us, it was like he dropped the facade. It's hard to explain.

"There was this feeling... almost like a connection that can only be felt between blood relatives. There were subtle changes to his expression too."

Maxim's tightly furrowed brows began to relax slightly, his lips curved into a faint smile, and his eyes—once sharp and filled with dominance—lost their intensity.