Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Sierra stayed calm and friendly, even offering drinks to the filming crew.

Her chill vibe honestly caught them off guard. When the camera panned across her place, they noticed it wasn’t anything fancy, but it was clean, cozy, and totally lived-in.

After hearing Sierra talk, the crew quickly figured out what was really going on. In showbiz, people sold, and they got support; if they rocked the boat too much, they were out.

Sierra used to be well-liked, but lately, she’s been hit with all kinds of drama, and now she had not even received the newest contract. Clearly, her agency wasn’t on her side.

Besides, this house was clearly her real home address. If her team actually had her back, they’d never have let it leak online.

The crew could already imagine the backlash once this episode aired. But at the end of the day, they were just hired hands. Even if they wanted to help Sierra, speaking up would probably backfire and make things messier for her.

Sierra didn’t need saving. Last time around, WonderWild Live was recorded, but she still got torn apart online afterward.

This time was different. She wasn’t gonna sit back and let Natalie drag her name through the mud. She knew all it would take was a few well-placed words during the livestream.

Natalie would dig her own grave and every bit of pain Sierra went through before would come right back at her.

Once Sierra saw the crew was cool, she let them film the teaser like normal.

Payton finally relaxed, too, hopping up on the couch and taking over the remote like it owned the place. It shot Sierra a look, clearly telling her to flip to its favorite cheesy family dramas.

And whenever something dramatic happened on screen, Payton would stare intently and bark like it was giving commentary. Later, when the editors were putting the teaser together, Payton’s dramatic barks kept popping up in the background.

****

Over at the Sterling residence, since Natalie was filming her reality show segment, everyone was home for the cameras, acting like one big happy family. Shawn even skipped out on a drama shoot and drove all the way across town to play the doting big brother.

No surprise, the Sterling family instantly shot to the top of the trending list. After the teaser dropped, Natalie gained a million followers in just one day.

But that night at dinner, Natalie barely touched her food. She seemed totally out of it, like something was really bothering her.

Shawn noticed right away. “What’s up, Nat? Food not good?”

Out of nowhere, Natalie started crying. It took Shawn a while to calm her down.

Finally, Natalie sniffled, “I just feel so guilty. Everything that happened today should’ve been Sierra’s. But because of me, she’s drifted apart from everyone. Tomorrow we’ll be on the same show together, and I-I don’t know how to face her.”

The whole family frowned. Honestly, they weren’t worried about sister drama. They were scared that Sierra might spill the beans about their true identities on live TV. They’d all seen how much resentment Sierra held toward Natalie.

“Don’t guilt yourself, Nat. You did nothing wrong. If anything, you’ve been putting up with Sierra this whole time,” Shawn scoffed. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re my only sister. If Sierra tries to start something on that show, she’ll have me to deal with.”

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Chapter 13

Natalie’s eyes flickered, and a sly grin flashed behind her lowered lashes. She wanted Sierra to crash and burn publicly, but she absolutely did not want their real history getting out.

Keeping the Sterlings wrapped around her finger was key. And Shawn was easy to manipulate. Just fed him one line, and he

ran with it.

Natalie lowered her head, her lashes trembling as she hid the sgness in her eyes.

She put on a soft, fragile voice. “But won’t that just hurt Sierra even more? Yeah, she blocked you all, but I get it. Her reputation online is already a mess. What if this makes things worse?”

“She brought it on herself,” Shawn said, totally cold. “Sierra is a train wreck. We gave her a chance, and she blocked Mom and Dad. She’s no sister of mine.”

As Shawn spoke, he looked at Natalie’s delicate, vulnerable face and his heart just melted.

“Nat, I get that you feel guilty about what happened with your parents,” he continued, “but you were just a baby back then. You didn’t know a thing. It’s not your fault, so stop always giving in to her. You don’t owe Sierra anything.”

Natalie’s eyes welled up with tears as she glanced around at the Sterlings. She turned back to Shawn, her voice trembling with emotion. “Shawn, having you all as my family feels like a blessing I earned.

“But Sierra is part of the family, after all. I’ll do my best to be kind and forgiving toward her.”

When the family at the table heard that, they all thought Natalie was the sweetest person ever. Not one of them picked up on the heavy weight she put behind those last few words.

The next morning, Sierra was up early. She had just finished getting ready when the film crew knocked on her door.

She let them in, finished packing her bag for the zoo trip, and then turned to Payton, who looked seriously bummed. “I already called the pet hotel,” she told Payton. “When the nice lady from the shop comes by, you’ll go with her, okay?”

Payton let out a long, dramatic howl, stretching its neck out like it was making a grand protest. It’d only just been reunited. with Sierra yesterday, and now she was shipping it off again.

It cried, “Lady, just quit your job already. Let me be the one who works and takes care of you.”

Sierra couldn’t help but laugh. “But you couldn’t possibly support me.”

Payton barked back, “Of course, I can. I’ve got loads of treasures. One day, I’ll hand them all over to you.”

Sierra just shook her head, amused. Payton’s toys and snacks took up a whole room, but the silly dog clearly had no idea who actually paid for all its loot.

But Payton kept whining, loud and relentless, until Sierra finally gave in. “Alright. After I’m done with work, I’ll have the pet hotel lady bring you right back. Deal?”

Payton tilted its head, giving Sierra a long, wise stare. Its doggy brain was racing. No matter how much it had begged before, Sierra never let it tag along to work. This time, she’d actually caved, and Payton was honestly stunned.

In an instant, Payton’s mood did a total 180. One second, it was howling at the ceiling; the next, it flashed its sharp little teeth and let its tongue loll out, completely over the moon.

After finally calming Payton down, Sierra hopped into the crew’s van and headed to the zoo where the show was filming. By the time she arrived, the other guests were already there.

The moment Sierra stepped out of the car, all eyes turned to her

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Chapter 13.

To vouchers

But she wasn’t looking at them. She just stared straight ahead athe zoo’s entrance sign, not blinking once. As her eyes locked on those big letters, a slow smile spread across her lips. Tey were in the WonderWild Zoo.