Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 198

Chapter 198 We’re All Killers

Ryan froze for a moment.

He’d actually run into Sharon a few times before. At first, she always talked down to Sierra, acting all high and mighty. Sharon would say sorry, but she never really meant it.

‘The Sterling family is all a bunch of jerks, Ryan thought. ‘And now they’re harassing Sierra again!’

Ryan figured the Sterling family was probably hiding nearby, as usual. He and Payton had that real partner-in-crime vibe. One look and they were totally in sync about what to do next.

Payton pressed himself close to Sierra, letting out a low growl, his sharp ice-blue eyes sweeping the area with alert intelligence.

Ryan headed back to his station, grabbed his long-handled fork and shield, and dropped a message in the security group chat, calling in all available guards.

In less than a minute, dozens of security guards came rushing in from all directions.

The delivery guy was just stunned. ‘Did I turn into the demon or something? Why are they all trying to catch me?’ he thought.

Seeing everyone glaring at him, the delivery guy was freaking out. “I-I mean, if you don’t want it, you can totally send it back.” ‘Isn’t this a bit much?’ he thought.

The delivery guy was on the verge of tears, swallowing hard. “We’re legit, I swear!”

Sierra glanced at the delivery guy’s uniform and said, “Sorry if we freaked you out. Could you please return these packages to the sender for me?”

“Y-yeah, of course!” the delivery guy replied nervously.

He hurried to collect the packages, got Sierra’s signature, and then drove off.

Ryan sent the guards away. When he saw Sierra looking really upset, he really felt for her.

‘The Sterling family is like a bad rash. They just won’t leave Sierra alone,’ Ryan thought.

If he were Sierra, he’d be so mad that he’d probably lose sleep over it.

“I’m fine,” Sierra said.

Honestly, Sierra had pretty much stopped thinking about the Sterling family lately. Sharon popping up out of nowhere just threw her off for a bit, nothing more.

“Ryan, you should take Payton and head home. Just pack up and call it a day, Sierra said.

Ryan nodded, still a little out of it. “Okay, Sierra. See you tomorrow.”

Sierra waved at Ryan, then disappeared from his sight with Payton by her side.

Ryan couldn’t help but shake his head. “How could anyone not appreciate someone as great as Sierra right from the start?” ‘Man, if I had a daughter like Sierra,’ Ryan thought. ‘No, scratch that, if Sierra were my mom, I’d be the most well-behaved son for life!’

*****

When Sierra got home, as usual, she got busy in the kitchen for Payton.

Ever since they came into some cash, Payton’s meals went way beyond boring old kibble.

And after his stay at Thomas’s place, who knows what he’d been eating, he’d packed on more pounds than he did during the holidays!

Payton wouldn’t leave Sierra’s side for a second. Normally, he’d make a beeline for the couch and flop down, but today he was glued to her.

Payton didn’t make a sound, but the way he looked at Sierra said it all; he was worried about her, through and through. “Payton, want to go play for a while? Did you spot the toy I put on the couch for you? It’s a gift I brought back from Kenland,” Sierra said,

When it heard Sierra sound normal, Payton’s ta Successfully unlocked!ler. “Sierra, let me stay with you! I’m going to protect you today!”

Sierra couldn’t help but laugh, amused and helpless at the same time.

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Chapter 198 We’re All Killers

Payton was just too smart. He could pick up on her mood right away. Even now that she seemed back to normal, Payton was still worried about her.

Sierra decisively grabbed a cushion from the living room and brought it into the kitchen. Payton sprawled out on it, keeping a close eye on her as she bustled around the stove.

Half an hour later, dinner was served for both humans and the dog.

Payton got a bowl of plain boiled chicken breast, some veggies, and a handful of freeze-dried snacks.

Sierra’s meal was salad, plus a plate of beef.

It looked so simple, but Sierra had spent twenty-three years perfecting the art of making a meal like this.

***

At that moment, over at the Sterling residence.

Sharon was stretched out on the couch, staring at the notification that her package had been sent back. Her face went white as a sheet.

Shawn hadn’t gotten a single invite since New Year’s, and with things looking pretty dead for him, he’d just holed up at home.

Lately, the whole house felt tense and weird. Every time his dad came home, Vivian would start in on him, and Leonard was basically living at the office; he hadn’t come back once since New Year’s Day.

So Shawn had been watching his every move, careful not to set anyone off.

Sharon had been a mess lately. When Shawn came downstairs and saw how out of it she looked, he paused, not sure what to say, but finally walked over and asked, “Mom, are you alright? Is everything okay?”

Sharon turned at the sound of his voice, and when she realized it was Shawn, her face relaxed a bit.

“Shawn, Sierra returned all the stuff I got for her. What am I supposed to do now?” Sharon’s voice was shaky, full of frustration.

Her eyes were so puffy and red that it looked like she’d been crying nonstop for days.

She just unloaded all her emotions on Shawn, treating him like her personal venting machine. “How are we ever going to get Sierra to come back home?”

Shawn just didn’t even know what to say. ‘Mom’s really gone off the deep end; he thought.

These days, her whole brain was stuck on Sierra; she was so fixated, it was like she was losing it.

Shawn just snapped and blurted out, “Mom! You saw it yourself. Sierra never had it good with us. We all ganged up on her. Outside this house, nobody ever bullied her.”

Seeing Sharon about to break down again, Shawn just kept going, like he didn’t even notice. “Don’t you get it? Except for us and David’s side, everyone else treats Sierra with kindness.

“Her teachers always had her back with her studies, her classmates would pretend they couldn’t finish their food just to give her the meat and veggies.

“Even when the whole internet was hating on her, her college friends still spoke up for her, even if it meant getting flamed themselves.”

She continued, “Leonard’s got a point. The best thing we can do is leave Sierra alone. The more you keep showing up in front of her, the more she hates it here and feels miserable!” Shawn said.

“What do you know?!” a man shot back.

Sharon instantly got worked up, her face flushed. “It was all just a misunderstanding before! I was the one who kept misjudging Sierra. I’d give her everything I have, and she’ll forgive me. I know she will!”

All that drama online was nothing to Natalie. Now that she knew she was stuck here for life, she just kept provoking Sharon on purpose, trying to get a reaction out of her.

Natalie shared all the stuff David Sterling never confessed to the police.

David and Elouise left their own home when Sierra was five, and came to work as housekeepers for the Sterling family.

David loved Natalie so much that after just three months, he ended up telling her the truth.

So Natalie had known since she was five that she wasn’t really part of the Sterling family. All these years, she’d been scared her secret would get out, so she’d been preparing for the worst for years.

That was why she’d been so lost and confused all these years.

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Chapter 198 We’re All Killers

“It’s all David and Elouise’s fault! They misled me! Just thinking about Sierra being left all alone at home when she was only five, just so they could take care of their own daughter.

“I can’t even bear to imagine how Sierra managed to survive,” Sharon said, her voice trembling with guilt.

But Shawn’s eyes were deep and heavy.

His eyes seemed to burn, like a blade slicing open the last old wound, finally letting all the poison spill out.

“Mom, we all did this. Leonard, you, Dad, and me. None of us can dodge the blame,” Shawn said, his voice steady but weighed down with guilt.

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