∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Camille showed Maria to the dressing room where she could prepare herself before singing. She asked about Francis which earned a roll of eyes from Camille.

"He hasn't even arrived yet," she responded bitterly, as she checked her appearance in the mirror. She then fixed the kiss mark on Maria's cheek with makeup, applying some powder on herself.

She sighed but put on a smile as though she was comforting herself. Maria knew Francis and Camille had their problems, there were times in the past Camille would be on the phone crying to her but Maria knew how much they loved each other.

"Have you had a good birthday so far?" Maria questioned, turning around on her chair and facing Camille. Her eyes told her otherwise but nonetheless, Camille nodded, losing eye contact with Maria.

"As good as it gets at this age," Camille brightly replied, drifting away from indulging into any emotions, "anyway, after the speeches, it'll be your cue to go on." Maria was surprised that Camille was taking the lead at her own birthday party. She wondered why Francis hadn't put more effort into planning the birthday party for her; she thought at least her song should have been a surprise.

Maria gave her a smile of acknowledgement, rubbing Camille's hand for a moment, a way of telling her that Maria was there for her, before Camille left then she was alone in the waiting room.

As Camille had said, once the speeches were over, it was Maria's turn to sing.

The accompanying piano began to play a slow, soft melody as she entered the stage. The guests were sat facing her, all eyes were on her. She forced herself to push down the wave of nerves coming to attack her once again and put on her usual professional smile, greeting the audience.

Leonardo anticipated her performance; he hadn't heard her opera singing for a long time. He once again was reminded of how spectacular she looked up there; her presence and aura was mighty. Maria was clearly made for the stage. She looked entrancing and once she began the song, he felt calmed at the sound of her euphonious, sweet voice.

It was clear and on point - she made sure she kept her vocals stable and maintained each note perfectly throughout. Her voice soared across the room, each guests' face was either filled with astonishment or delight at the pleasant sound. Camille was overjoyed at her captivating voice, thrilled at the fact that Maria was so amazing. The song was difficult but Maria managed to sing it superbly.

Leonardo momentarily closed his eyes to truly appreciate how heavenly her voice sounded. Opera had become his new favourite genre.

Maria was confident, assured and enthusiastic. She smiled as she sang, looking so relaxed and ethereal. It was as if the song was easy to pull off. The way she looked at the guests provided a connection with them. She wasn't just singing for the sake of it - she was expressing her emotions, the feelings associated with the song. Her voice was truly enthralled by the words.

Her hypnotic tone was something he had never heard before. Those precious eyes of hers landed on him at some point. She maintained that powerful eye contact as though the song was dedicated to him. Her delivery was truly impactful, he felt his heart race just by looking at her. The high notes were impeccable, she effortlessly reached them with no problem, keeping her passionate tone constant and measured.

By the end of the performance, the guests were already standing and clapping as though it was a concert rather than a birthday celebration. Leonardo too could not sit and not appreciate the woman. He stood for his fiancée and clapped loudly, watching as she politely bowed and thanked the crowd, her beautiful smile stretched across her small face.

Her talent was undeniable, he once again admired her skill and for some strange reason, wished to hug her and cherish her.

He found himself becoming too comfortable and loose. Before the rest of the guests sat, he did so first, clearing his throat and adjusting his collar. He soon went back to his reserved self.

Maria smiled warmly at the guests, a small chuckle leaving her as she heard all of Camille's praise. When she did notice Leonardo, he was sat down again. She held back from frowning and focused on the other people. She hadn't seen earlier how he had been clapping so pondered on whether he enjoyed the singing or not.

A pang of disappointment touched her heart.

Not too long after, Maria came out from the bathroom to see Camille talking with some other guests. An instrumental ensemble had taken over for the music and she felt enlightened at the sound of such beautiful music.

Maria noticed that Leonardo was speaking with another man who was with a woman. She hesitated but eventually decided to go up to him however as she approached, she realised the conversation was far from friendly.

Recognising the man, a glower came onto her face. "Mr Madden," she greeted, sliding her arm into a gap so she was linking it with Leonardo. Leo glanced over at her and held back from uttering more disdainful words to the man.

"Miss Maria. Lovely performance," Mr Madden said, a large grin across his long face. He had his arm around a woman with dark ginger hair. She looked pretty - pretty young for him.

Maria gave him a brief nod, wanting him to leave.

"I was just telling your fiancé here that the offer still stands for you to join our company!"

She held back from rolling her eyes. So that was what their conversation was about. She had heard that offer many times before from rival companies.

"As I've told you before, I am content with where I am. Please focus on your own artists." He had been seeking her for years and every time, she rejected each offer. His deal was for her voice, not for her dance and not to mention, his company had a series of scandals regarding singers and issues with their contracts. Her priority was dance and she was loyal to her company that she would soon own.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped asking," she firmly told him, her eyebrows narrowing. She wasn't fond of Mr Madden since he somehow always found himself on the front page of an article with rumours surrounding women.

"Aww! Don't be like that - listen, we've got new-"

"She told you to shut the hell up," Leonardo suddenly snapped, irritated at the sound of Mr Maddens nasal voice. Without letting him reply, he turned and walked away, taking Maria along with him. She was surprised at his sudden outburst but couldn't help but chuckle at his annoyance.

They were by the fountain, further away from the guests. "What's with you? He barely breathed and you erupted," she asked in an amused tone. "I get this all the time."

He rolled his eyes at the thought of Mr Maddens as she held his hand, swinging it gently like a child. "It was either that or a punch. Too many people here have their eyes on you." Maria laughed again, moving closer to him. "Is that a problem?" She impishly asked in a lower tone. He met her spirited eyes that seemed to have a hint of flirtation in them.

He didn't know what else to say, momentarily speechless in the face of her beauty. She intertwined their hands together, making his heart rate intensify. There was a dominant voice speaking not too far from them, she looked away, eavesdropping on a heated conversation between a couple not too far away whilst he was focused on her, his eyes dropping down at her tempting, moist lips shining with lip gloss.

He had the thought.

The thought of turning her head and passionately kissing her but it was quickly shattered at the sound of a loud, male voice.

"Ma belle femme! {my beautiful woman}"

Leonardo's head snapped up and landed up Francis Lemaire, the man himself in person.

He wore a limited edition, bronze suit. His black hair was slicked back and he looked refreshed. Francis was a handsome man, he had an attractive aura about him that could make women drop their underwear just by eye contact he could give them. Camille was in tow and seemed such happier,
smiling ear to ear, at the sight of her husband who had just arrived.

Maria let out a small gasp and let go of Leonardo's hand. He looked down at the parting and she took off on a little run before being engulfed in the muscular arms of Francis Lemaire.

The way he hugged her felt like a dagger to Leonardo's heart. His arms were completely around her and they hugged as if they were past lovers reuniting after a long time, laughing and chattering with each other. He buried his head into her neck and kissed it as she laughed before Francis fully dipped her and crashed his lips onto hers.

The sight was a thunderbolt to Leonardo. He had no idea what to do with such intense feelings of jealously, resentment and anger whilst watching the two essentially make out in front of him. His hand clenched into a fist by his side.

There were tongues - Leonardo could see tongues. Leonardo saw it was Francis attempting to eat his childhood love's lips off, powerfully kissing her deeply whereas Maria, who Leonardo saw as the victim, saw the kiss as the usual welcome from Francis.

She kissed him back with the same intensity. It was an extremely intimate kiss. In that moment, she didn't even think of the fact that Leonardo was watching furiously from behind though he wasn't showing his deep emotion. Her hand was on Francis's shoulder as she tried to steady herself and handle his earnest but rough love for her.

When he finally pulled away, she could breathe. He lifted her up, hugging her once more and planted a kiss on her temple. It was the cherry on top to get Leonardo to storm over to them.

Maria breathlessly laughed in Francis's ear. "Did you miss me that much, mon cherie? {my sweetie}" Maria asked in in a melodious tone, her sweet smile softening Francis's heart once again.

Francis had a huge soft spot for Maria: he doted on the irresistible woman a lot. He enjoyed all of her performances and attended what he could. His gestures were love for a dear friend, not a lover.

"Of course I did!" Francis happily replied in a teasing tone, tapping the tip of her nose. "Your singing today was spectacular, my love. Mademoiselle, please give me a chance." He leaned in and whispered in a seductive tone playfully, "come home with me, my beautiful queen. The things I could do to you, my love." Maria gave him a laugh, gently slapping his chest.

"What will it take you to join me? How about me and Camille?" He offered, humour laced in his tone as Camille heartily laughed.

"No, no, Francis," Maria declined in a tantalising tone whilst Francis held her hand, kissing it softly. "You can't keep doing these things," she swooned. Francis then had one arm around Camille and another around Maria. He jokingly groaned, "why not, my treasure?" Camille giggled as he tickled her side, kissing her cheek. "I love being with my wives, you are both my greatest joys in life."

"Focus on Camille," Maria chortled gently, Francis's hand squeezing her hip delicately as he hugged the two of women. "I'm engaged now, Francis." Maria noticed Leonardo storming over and he didn't seem too happy understandably.

She left a kiss on Francis's cheek before untangling herself from the large hug, making her way over to Leonardo. She dismissed his slight glare and took his hand, pulling him to Francis and Camille.

Leonardo then wrapped his arm around her waist, surprising Maria. His grip was quite strong as though he was stopping her from running away. She could tell that he was asserting his dominance and was annoyed at the previous kiss. Maria briefly glanced up at him before realising the depth of his anger.

Maria placed her head against his chest nonetheless, smiling at Francis. "This is my fiancé, Francis. Have you met him before?" She asked in an innocent yet ironic tone as her hand rested on Leonardo's chest. She hoped that he wasn't too upset with her but at the same time, she hoped a touch of jealously hit him.

Francis and Leonardo made eye contact. Leonardo wanted to murder him. They both had a serious, authoritative look in their eyes. Francis chuckled dryly. The conflict between the two organisations was evident. Camille's smile began to dissolve as she could feel the sudden tenseness between the two.

"No. No, I haven't, Maria," Francis refuted, his eyes intensely on Leonardo.

"I see you have something for my fiancée," Leonardo jibed, his grip on Maria's hip getting stronger.

Francis smirked a little, loosening the hard look on his face. "Who wouldn't? She's my treasure. I suppose you didn't appreciate my welcome for her earlier." Maria bit her bottom lip, sensing the awkwardness.

"No," Leonardo sharply answered, "no I did not." He clenched his jaw, wanting to punch all thirty one of his teeth, and his gold one right out of his mouth.

Francis chuckled again, "you couldn't come to me, my little star?" Maria shook her head meekly, with a smile, "you won't miss my upcoming performances, will you?"

"Absolutely not!" Francis reassured her, "in fact, I'll be there at your wedding," he confirmed, inviting himself. "If there will be one, anyway." Leonardo let out a scoff, irked at the thought of Francis there.

Camille cleared her throat and released herself from Francis's arms then took Maria's hand, pulling her. "Come on, Ria, let's let them fix their egos." Camille whisked away Maria and the two stood not too far away by a large window where they grabbed drinks from the waiter, leaving the two men alone in that tense atmosphere.

"I'm tired of travelling now," Camille was explaining to Maria, who nodded in understanding. The two glanced over at the men who seemed to be getting along just fine in their little corner where they talked business.

Maria barely touched her wine; she rarely drank to protect her throat but also because she couldn't deal with having a hangover afterwards. On the other hand, Camille had finished her fourth glass and was holding onto her fifth.

Glancing over at Leonardo, Maria wondered how he felt about the kiss; was he annoyed at her for not pushing away? She felt slightly guilty but at the same time, they weren't actually together, therefore Leonardo couldn't get mad at her since he himself had placed the barrier between them. She fidgeted with her fingers, a heavy feeling on her chest as she exhaled sadly.

Camille noticed her frown and lightly chuckled, "worried about your big boy?" Maria smiled a little and sighed, swirling the wine around her glass. "I don't think he was too happy about the kiss." Maria recounted that cold, hard look on his face earlier but then reminded herself that he shouldn't he annoyed, considering that he himself rejected her.

"Wow," Camille exclaimed, her eyebrows raised. She genuinely loved Maria and had no issue with her intimacy with Francis. "I can't believe the day has come where Francis can't be all lovey dovey anymore." Maria shook her head. "I'm not mad at Francis, I love him. I just. . .I didn't think about how it would affect. ." She trailed off, looking over at Leonardo again who was too engrossed in his conversation with Francis to notice. She hoped it was going well.

Camille nodded understandingly, sipping the alcohol as she glanced around the room. "I'm sure it's fine - he'll be jealous for a little while then beg to have you."

Maria laughed at Camille's playful bluntness, feeling slightly comforted although she knew Leonardo would act differently. "Don't take my words as a fact though," Camille added with a wink.

"He doesn't seem as expressive. . ." Camille continued in a hesitant tone, both their eyes on the men. Maria nodded in agreement, "he's a pretty quiet man. But I like that." She felt her cheeks warm suddenly as she realised how she much she had complimented Leonardo that night to Camille.

"Well, at least you've got a man who's with you, quiet or not. Francis hasn't been home for months."

Maria looked at her in surprise. "What about your vacation? I thought you guys were together?" Camille shook her head, "no. He's been doing whatever business he has to deal with." She looked as though she could cry, her eyes beginning to look glossy which made Maria turn so she was closer, her gaze softening at the sight of Camille's sad face.

"Honestly, Ria, I'm really. . ." She squeezed her eyes closed for a second after her voice cracked slightly.

"Camille. . ." Maria didn't know how to act; she waited for her to continue.

"I'm done with the ins and outs of this relationship. I want him for myself only." Maria didn't expect to hear that and she placed her hand on top of Camille's. The couple seemed content with their open endeavours together or not. She listened carefully, giving Camille her full attention.

Camille blinked a few times, before further explaining, "we got into an argument over this guy I was fucking; he didn't like him, so I eventually cut the guy off. I started to feel guilty being with other people. I mean, he was hot - his abs were - anyway, I wanted to respect Francis. But then!" She sighed after exclaiming.

"I realised I don't like this anymore - I hate it when he has girls over, I hate the mess they leave, their smell, the sounds - I'm done with it!" Camille exhaled in frustration. "It's come to a point where he spends more time with them than me! It feels like he's cheating!" Camille ranted, "I know I shouldn't be complaining but I don't want other people in this anymore. I want Francis to myself so we can settle down a bit because seriously, I'm not getting any younger. I just feel like he isn't ready to commit to me."

Maria thought about what it would be like to be in the same predicament. She felt for Camille - Maria couldn't bear the idea of sharing Leonardo with someone else, that type of relationship was definitely not her style. Camille and her were different in that way. Maria was too possessive of Leonardo to even consider such a relationship.

"I get you. This is not an easy situation. ." Maria began, still thinking of what would be the best way to advice Camille. She could only think of asking, "have you spoken to him about this?"

"I have," Camille whined, downing her glass. "But he doesn't take it seriously - you know what he's like. He has this girl that I fucking hate. He doesn't usually stick to the same ones but he seems to really be into her. She's always around and I'm convinced that she was with him when he was away. I don't know, Ria - it feels like cheating. I told him I didn't like her and he hasn't gotten the memo."

"Am I not good enough for him? Tell me the truth, Ria."

"No! Don't put yourself down, Cammy," Maria quickly shot back, narrowing her eyebrows at her. "You are too good for him. You're letting all that shit slide? No. Francis needs to be more grateful."

Maria sighed, folding her arms. "I would say if he isn't taking this seriously - make it serious. Move out or something. You're not going to stand for that shit."

"But I can't!" Camille groaned, running her hand through her hair. "I don't know. We both agreed to this-"

"But you want out," Maria pointed out, raising her eyebrow.

"Have you had issues with women with him?" Camilla interjected before Maria could continue. She thought of the different ways she could answer Camille. If anything, Leonardo was pretty anti-women, or even anti-love. He was quite an unapproachable and stiff man and didn't seem to have any feeling of romance or lust in him in Maria's eyes. Maria hadn't experienced much intimacy with him. She couldn't imagine him being with another woman or even cheating. He wouldn't since it took too much energy to do so and he hated infidelity.

She flicked her hair over her shoulder. "This isn't about me," she said instead, focusing on the main topic. "Look, Camille, don't stand for something you don't want in a relationship. It's not wrong for a change, especially for someone you love."

Camille frowned, her eyes averting over to Francis. She wasn't too sure. "I don't want to lose him," she murmured sadly. Maria could tell Camille felt as though Francis was slipping away.

Camille's gasped as her eyes landed onto her husband. She widened her glimmering eyes and gripped onto Maria's hand, anger filling her soul.

"She's there, Ria. That bitch is sitting right next to him!"

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

~ Author's Note ~

Maria's kiss with Francis was a big one..should she be feeling a little guilty?
Does Leonardo have a right to be annoyed?

Francis has been introduced and it's clear he's a very touchy and affectionate person.

Opinions on Francis?

Camille and Francis seem to have their own issues they need to address. Will this affect Maria. .?

Camille and Francis have an interesting confrontation next chapter. Keep reading to find out!

Thoughts on this chapter?

Please vote, comment, share and follow.

Votes and comments really help me know how the story is going, if the book is going well or not, and helps boost my confidence for more updates :)

Thanks for reading!

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘