Chapter 417

At first, Dexter didn't understand who Myra was referring to. It took him a few seconds to realize the "wretched girl" was Felicia. Had another person been present, they might have wondered how these two could not recognize their own daughter. More likely, they would be shocked by the parents' callous description of their biological child as a curse. Either way, it would be incomprehensible.

Dexter sighed weakly. "Stop saying nonsense. Let's focus on what to do next."

Myra, however, had given up, muttering, "This has nothing to do with us! Let them say what they want! We handed over the map. If it was swapped, that's their problem!"

While easy for her to say, the incident wouldn't die down easily. Human desire was like a vast web.

After his initial frustration, Dexter calmed down. He paced the room, hands clasped behind his back, before saying, "Something's not right."

"What doesn't make sense?" Myra asked.

"That map—we put it in the box ourselves and locked it. No one else handled it. Kayla was the only other person who touched it."

"What are you implying?"

"What if Kayla stole the map?"

Doubt crept into Dexter's mind. He picked up the fake map from the floor and examined it. Kayla often painted; her room was full of art supplies. The lake map's ink was identical to her paint!

Myra found this hard to believe. "That proves nothing! Don't accuse your own daughter!"

"Then how do you explain this? The box was securely locked. It wasn't opened until today's auction. There was no opportunity for tampering!" If his suspicions were true, Dexter didn't know how to feel.

Though Myra wanted to argue, she clenched her fists tightly. From Dexter's forced smile, she sensed his thoughts—karma. Their initial greed in secretly removing the map, or their beloved adopted daughter's betrayal—it was all karma.

Late that night, Kayla returned home. Seeing the house in disarray, the front door broken, she cried, "Dad! Mom! What happened?"

Myra explained the events and then pulled Kayla aside. "Kayla, tell me the truth. Did you swap the map?"

Kayla's eyes widened in shock. "Mom! How many times must I tell you? I already told you on the phone—it wasn't me!"

Myra studied her, searching for guilt or evasion, but found none. She let the matter drop. If it wasn't Kayla, the swap must have happened at the auction.

"Maybe the auction house owner or a guard did it," Myra concluded.