Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Shawn’s face went ghostly white. He shouted in his heart, ‘Crap, his is bad.

Sierra just raised an eyebrow and gave a quiet laugh. “Talking is gonna fix this, Mr. Sterling. I’ve got things to do. I’m out

of here.”

“Wait.” Shawn reached out to stop her, but when he saw how pale Natalie looked, he let his hand drop.

Meanwhile, the live chat exploded.

[OMG the tea is piping hot.]

[I thought the Sterlings only had one daughter? And Sierra and Natalic look like they totally can’t stand each other.]

[They both have the same last name. They’re definitely related.)

[So why do they hate each other so much?]

By day two of WonderWild Live, the show blew up even more.

The Sterlings had been watching Natalie’s stream intently, and the moment Shawn slipped up about Sierra’s the family, they rushed straight to the zoo.

to

Shawn’s brother, Jonathan Sterling, arrived first and immediately lit into Shawn. Natalie stood off to the side, crying quietly while Sharon and Jimmy tried to comfort her.

“Don’t worry, Nat,” Sharon said, sighing as she watched Natalie’s red, swollen eyes. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be our daughter. That will never change.”

After raising Natalie for over twenty years, Sharon couldn’t just let Natalie go. But Sierra would never understand a mother’s heart. She kept pushing them toward this impossible situation. Now, with everyone speculating online, if Natalie’s true background came out, her life would be ruined.

“That disgraceful girl, Sierra!” Jimmy slammed the table furiously. “We never should’ve let her back into the family just because we felt sorry for her.”

Natalie kept her head down, but a spark of hope flickered in her eyes. She hadn’t realized the Sterlings disliked Sierra this much. Maybe her secret wasn’t doomed after all.

Natalie looked up, her voice gentle. “Mom, Dad, please don’t blame Sierra or Shawn. I’m the one who took Sierra’s place. Since the truth is coming out anyway, maybe we should just tell everyone who I really am.”

“No!” All four Sterlings shouted in unison.

Shawn was genuinely moved. Natalie wasn’t blaming him at all and she was willing to give up her place as the Sterling heiress for Sierra.

Without thinking, he burst out, “No way. I’ve watched you grow up, Nat. If I had to choose, I’d never pick Sierra as my sister.”

Jonathan nodded firmly. “No matter what, you’re our sister. You always will be.”

Natalie’s eyes shone with smugness. She looked up, stunned, with tears welling as she struggled to speak. “But sooner or later, the truth will come out. I’ll have to step aside for Sierra.”

She bowed her head, devastated. Tears splashed onto her lap, darkening her dress. “I’ve been so lucky to have parents and

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brothers like you. I can’t ask for more.” Her voice trembled before she fell silent.

The Sterlings’ hearts ached and their resentment toward Sierra grew even stronger.

“Mom, Dad, Sierra clearly doesn’t give a damn about this family If she wants to cut ties, fine, let’s make sure she regrets it,” Shawn said, rubbing his still-stinging cheek. The humiliation burned worse than the slap.

He was a grown man and got hit by his younger sister. If this got out, he’d never hear the end of it. He swore that Sierra would pay for today.

“Everyone already thinks Nat’s the real Sterling heiress anyway, he continued. “All we have to do is say Sierra was adopted, and Nat’s our actual daughter.”

Natalie’s eyes lit up, but the others hesitated. Sharon hesitated, “But Sierra is still our child, too. Isn’t this too harsh?”

“Mom, Sierra’s made her choice clear. Look how Nat keeps giving in while Sierra walks all over her. Once Sierra hits rock bottom, she’ll come crawling back,” Shawn replied dismissively.

Their resistance wavered, and finally, they nodded in agreement.

Soon, both Shawn and the official Sterling family account posted statements claiming Sierra was adopted. The news shot the top of trending lists immediately.

The comments exploded.

[LOL and here I thought she was some elite heiress. Just adopted?]

[The Sterlings gave her everything and she repays them by bullying their kids?]

[They should’ve disowned her ungrateful ass sooner.]

[I was starting to like Sierra but this changes everything.]

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***

Meanwhile, in a dorm at Northbel University, Crystal Yates was glued to the variety show livestream. She and Sierra had been classmates and roommates.

At Northbel, brimming with brilliant minds, Sierra seemed to breeze through; her grades soared. After merely a year, she graduated early, becoming Crystal’s senior.

Sierra was the legend that every vet student admired. When Crystal learned Sierra was joining an animal variety show, she was glued to it all day, eager to learn real tricks from the genius.

When Crystal saw Shawn and Natalie attacking Sierra, she started furiously typing.

[What makes you say Sierra owes the Sterlings everything? If luck was on her side, she wouldn’t have fainted from malnutrition in her first year. Who do the Sterlings think they are, trying to take advantage of our prodigy?]

The moment she posted, Shawn blocked her. “Dammit!” Crystal cursed.

She and her roommate spent the whole night cycling through alt accounts, spamming the comments until sunrise.

Sierra had been fielding calls and messages from concerned classmates and professors all day, replying to each one patiently.

The Sterlings’ move was exactly what she’d expected and she couldn’t care less about their drama. Her real focus was on

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Quickie’s condition.

Her role as zoo director wasn’t public knowledge yet. Daily operations were handled by Thomas Monroe, the head animal expert. After messaging him. Sierra arranged to examine Quick under the guise of work duties.

The injuries were worse than she’d feared. With current veterinary capabilities, full recovery seemed unlikely. Returning to the wild was practically impossible.

When Sierra gently broke the news, Quickie just chirped cheerfully, “It’s fine. I like it here with you.” The little bird kept nuzzling her chest until Sierra had to move it away.

The keeper initially tried to coach Sierra on proper handling, worried she might hurt Quickie. But Quickie would squawk loudly in protest whenever anyone else touched Sierra.

Truth was, Sierra had aced every animal care challenge the show threw at her. The only “flaw” in Quickie’s behavior was its habit of loudly scolding the staff.

Sierra didn’t bother responding to the online drama. She’d learned her lesson in her previous life. No one believed her when she desperately posted about being the Sterlings’ daughter. As long as the Sterlings protected Natalie, the truth would stay buried.

Perhaps out of guilt, Shawn and Natalie had avoided speaking to Sierra these past few days. The tension during livestreams was palpable.

While fans might not notice, the other guests certainly did. Vivian made no effort to hide her dislike of Natalie, but she often glanced at Sierra with something closer to pity.

That day, the five guests were eating lunch in silence when Sierra suddenly stood up, her expression grim, and walked out quickly.

Before anyone could react, a staff member burst in shouting, “Vivian! Your manul coughed up blood and collapsed. It’s unconscious now.”

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