(Disclaimer: I do not own A Monster In Paris; just Madeleine.)

(Hello dearest readers and fellow writers! First off, I apologize for not uploading a new chapter sooner, but I've been rather busy lately. Now, as a notice, I'm actually going to be leaving to work out at sea for the next five months, so while I'll try to upload another chapter or two before my departure, I just thought I'd give you all a heads up in case I don't upload new content for a while. Thank you for your understanding and I hope to post again soon. In the meantime, feel free to leave a comment and remember to stay awesome!)

"Speaking"

"Singing"

Chapter 12

Deciding to take Carlotta up on her offer, Madeleine agreed to perform again and had actually gained enough confidence to sing more frequently. She now sang once every Monday, Wednesday and Friday after Lucille and Francœur finished their performances for the evening. While it wasn't what she was used to prior to her accident, Madeleine felt it was appropriate considering that she had been out of the spotlight for the last two years. That, and she didn't want to outshine her cousin and partner. Oh yes; she and Francœur were now dating one another. While they've only been 'together' for the last three weeks, they had grown exceptionally close and were rarely seen apart from one another. She'd be there watching him rehearse with Lucille and he in turn would watch her rehearse her own music and listen to her play the violin whenever the mood struck her.

Of course, during the nights when she wasn't performing, Madeleine would help her Aunt out front and assist the new server, Sean, with serving drinks. He was a pleasant fellow to talk to and was roughly the same age as Lucille. While he was handsome and charming, he couldn't hold a candle to Francœur in her opinion. She loved his kind nature, charming smile and gentle eyes, while his voice soothed her soul and eased her mind.

At the moment, she was showing a couple of guests to their table when a familiar figure entered the cabaret. He wore a formal evening suit and a gray fedora atop his head, while his pale gray eyes surveyed the surroundings. Although she hadn't seen him in nearly two years, Madeleine recognized this man as her ex-fiance, Jean Marques. At one point, she had been head-over-heels in love with him, but after he broke off their engagement, she no longer felt that way about him. Instead, she was filled with anger that he had the audacity to show his face here.

Before she could leave and clear her head, he spotted her and approached, "..Madeleine? Is that you?"

Narrowing her eyes, she crossed her arms and frowned, "Surprised?"

"Well..yes, actually. I-I thought you were dead."

"Oh no, far from it. Although you would think that considering how badly I was burned in the fire. What was it you said to me when you saw my injuries? Oh yes: "My dear, I'm afraid that I must cancel our engagement effective immediately as your beauty has been forever tarnished by the flames, and I have no desire to take a monster as my wife." Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

"Don't tell me you're still upset. I made the right decision."

"Oh God forbid your reputation would fall into ill-favour because of my appearance," she rolled her eyes in disgust.

"You and I both know that it would."

Sean overheard snippets of their conversation and was about to confront the man when he suddenly noticed Madeleine's demeanor: Cold and dark were her eyes. No longer did they reflect the light but rather, they consumed it. Her lips were curved downward into a scowl and her entire body was tense and shaking. With a mental shake of his head, he approached the pair and asked, "Madeleine, is everything alright?"

She gave him a curt nod, "Yes, I'm fine. I was just asking this gentleman to leave."

Sensing there was more to this exchange than she was letting on, Sean gave her an understanding look before facing the young man, "I think you should go."

He merely narrowed his eyes at the pair before turning on his heel and leaving the establishment. Before he could consult her, Sean noticed that Madeleine had left in the opposite direction and was making her way towards her dressing room.