A few days later.

To say Tiana was happy to see her father was an understatement and to say it was a total surprise was definitely true. She had not expected either him or June to be here at the Gym's conference hall that she was using to stage her VIP gym wear collection debut.

Most of the years since her departure from their family home had constituted them communicating via the phone but after a time it seemed strained and bothersome and rather scripted to converse so eventually they had ended up corresponding on special occasions or on specific events that warranted it.

It was sad to know that like her mother her relationship with her father had boiled down to cards filled with words scribbled that barely reflected how they feel.

Some of those very cards had been invitations to events she had hosted over the years but never has it warranted her parents being in attendance until now.

She smiled as my eyes caught her father standing in the crowd of patrons that currently milled about now that the major event was over. The people round and about included journalists, rivals as well as supportive gym owners mixed with friends and their family members that came to the debut of the new gym wear collection.

Her smile however faltered as her eyes rested on her mother standing beside him looking like a black Nubian queen in a gold metallic ankle-length alter top belted cocktail dress. Her thick black hair texturized to form a well-configured bob about her angular jawline as her ears, neck, wrists and fingers sparkled with BvLgari Serpentine.

In years to come, Tiana thought to herself, I will be the replica of the woman who I hate to love but crave with all my heart to love, because as much as you could tell I was my father's daughter I was fashioned in June's image.

"Where the hell was Kessa?" She muttered to herself as something old and replenishment of things she had to lay buried tried to surface.

She wanted her here with her. She could not bear to face her mother or the man she shaped her father into. It scared her to think that the bitter broken girl she had set free so that she could love Kessa the way she deserved would sully back to the surface and take hold of her.

The days leading up to tonight had been the happiest of her life in a long time. She had worked hand in hand with Kessa and surprisingly Tim who was by Tyra's side every chance he got.

Tyra was a vital part of tonight turning out to be the success it was like she did at TWest Fitness Apparels. She had unconstitutionally incorporated the four of them into a team and thus enabling borders to be expanded as boundaries that were callously and inconsiderable created to be ripped down and in the end, an unlikely little band was formed.

Her eyes searched for Tyra and Tim and saw that they too were nowhere to be found. No doubt they probably fucking down the nearest office they could find. Now that he was not scheduled sessions that were back to back or too rigorous he has to put in his all to endure as she had given him a practical and more reasonable schedule to work they went about it like rabbits or pretty much the way she and Kessa did.

Yes, being in love was glorious and fulfilling so who was she to bash Tim and Tyra? She smiled to herself and tried to muster up the courage to face her parents.

However, as she made it from the group of people who had stopped to compliment and congratulated her on tonight's success she saw the lights cut and the room filled with temporary darkness. Murmurs filled the expanse before a trolley with a massive cake in its centre and bordered by starlights came wheeling in.

"For she's a jolly good fellow, she's a jolly good fellow..."

Tiana listened as the crowd joined in and the three persons that she had come in the past days to admire, care about and love deeply emerge from behind the cake grinning with delight as they looked at her standing there surprised.

Tiana was not the crying type but tears spill down her cheeks as she looked at the cake and listen as cheers erupted and hands joined in to clap.

"Hey baby," Kessa said walking up to her and gently wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "This is for never giving up and allowing us through your hard work, success and determination to find our place, live our lives and learn lessons in love."

Tiana's eyes automatically drifted to June as Kessa leaned in a gently kissed her lips just then the lights flicked on bathing them in its bright glow.

She was not sure what she saw in her mother's dark brown eyes but her face to her surprise did not hold the disgust that she expected as Kessa's soft sweet lips spoke to her through a kiss filled with love and adoration.

Tiana felt Kessa made to pull away at her lack of response and realize that she was too caught up in her mother sending the wrong message to Kessa.

"Thank you, baby," she said pulling her in for a deeper longer kiss. This was her life, her journey through it and no one was going to mess it up any further.

When she release Kessa she saw that Tyra was standing beside June and was whispering something to her and this time when her eyes met her mother's there was something close to despair there.

What the fuck was going on?

Why was Tyra holding on to her father so formally?

Her eyes devoured the trio until they all turned to look at her and it was then it dawned on her that she was June personified in features and body structure while Tyra held the feminine persona of their father.

Tyra is her sister.

Tyra is her sister!

The revelation had her stepping back and bumping non too gently into someone standing behind her. She turn to automatically apologize and saw that it was a photographer who had stepped up for a close shot of her and Kessa.

There it was the click and the flash, the big story of Tiana Persephone West. The rich talented heiress of an empire that was built on secrets that were masked by her sexuality.

How ironic that her parents turned up the one night her success was partially credited to her father's love child who happened to be a tranny.

"Ok everyone...," she heard Kessa begin to speak but only pieces of the words filled her overwhelmed mind "....cake...champagne...please enjoy."

"Baby let's get out of here," Tiana said tugging at Kessa's hand.

"But T your p-,"

"Darling we need to talk," her father's voice said cutting off Kessa's words and bringing their attention to him. "Privately."

Tiana glared at him before her eyes took in the surroundings. Tim was hugging Tyra to his side looking blissful and contented and June was standing looking all royal and opulent in her cloak of superiority in the sea of persons who were oblivious to the bomb that was ticking in her.

Kessa's hand squeezed hers gently and she took the silent warning to get a hold of herself but how she wanted to pull the pedestal that June was perched on and set it toppling.

Why save her the shame and disgraced she feared when she never speared her a second thought? When she never once thought of what her turning her back on her had caused her?

Guess she already had karma dished her serving. An illegitimate transmale and an estranged daughter who thanks to love lesson thought her that she did not need others' approval to validate her.

"I love you, Dad," she said moving to hug him. "It's a few years too late to try and make up for the damages of the past. I found my way and clearly, that's enough. I now know being a bitter pain-filled person was only breaking me."

Her father made to speak but she shook her head as she pulled away. "I hold no grudges and slowly I will forgive Mother but until then Tyra will have a place here and with time we might end up being a family but for now I want to go home and celebrate my success with my fiancé."

"Fiancé?!" Kes gasped.

"Yes but since the night has taken turned I had not expected I was not given the chance to ask," Tiana said looking at a startled Kessa.

"So you thought I was going to accept?" she asked her eyes twinkling.

"Yes because you are mine and I am yours and no family drama is going to stop that."

"I'll leave you two to sort that out but Tiana we'll have you meet us at the Royal tomorrow evening at six for dinner."

It was clear that it was not an option so with reluctance that she did not try to disguise she agreed. Also, there was something about her father's sudden change in character that piqued her interest and she figured it had to do with her sudden realization of who Tyra is.

"Both of you."

When Tiana and Kessa got in the private elevator that took them to her suite she could not get the look of regret and pain she saw in her mother's eyes as they passed her.

June's contempt would have been easier to bare, because she was use to it.