A/N: Hi guys! The more books I read by you amazing writers, the more I realize how horrible my writing style is in comparison to others. I am perpetually dissatisfied with my work and whenever I have a look at the previous chapters, I end up wanting to edit them and fix my language. I've decided that I'm not going to do any more editing until I've finished this book (also, I'm pretty sure you guys are going to throw bricks at me if I started the editing process again). I wouldn't really recommend reading it further until I've edited it to my satisfaction (which might never happen).

But if you've still decided to stick to the story, thank you so much! I hope it doesn't disappoint you! Here's the next chapter.

"There is a kind of beauty in imperfection."- Conrad Hall

Dana Lawrence was the complete opposite of the spoiled brat image the media had built of her. She was as warm and friendly as she was beautiful and Kyle instantly felt at ease. Her red hair framed her face like a halo, making her look like an angel from a classic painting.

Even though she was very beautiful, Kyle found that her warm, brown eyed gaze didn't make his heart feel things Yvonne's sharp grey ones did.

He stopped to think about what she had just told him. One day of a pretend relationship with the woman of his dreams was a small price to pay for a lifetime of good job prospects.

If he were told that he would be getting to spend a day dating the woman of his dreams a day ago, he would have been on top of the world. Now, he had difficult, painful things weighing his mind. It was strange how one day could change your life forever.

Now, Kyle was sure Yvonne was disgusted by the way he looked, thanks to his bruises. She hadn't even spared a glance at him as Dana ushered him into Jenna's office.

His self esteem was at an all time low. Doesn't she have a lot of better options to choose from? He thought to himself.

"And what are you going to tell the reporters if you are asked?" Dana asked, pulling him out of his thoughts. Her big smile was infectious and Kyle found himself smiling back a little.

"That I met her three years ago at a party," he said.

"Good," she said. "And what is your present status?"

"We are casually dating. We have not planned any long term commitments as of now," said Kyle.

"Great! Now, just be yourself in front of the camera," she said, cheerfully.

Suddenly, the door flew open and Jenna burst in.

"Dana, I need-"

Jenna's words were cut short as her bright green eyes fell on Kyle, widening as her gaze roamed his body. She stopped walking and stood there, face expressionless, eyes displaying a storm of emotions.

"Kyle," she said, softly, "What happened?"
***

Jenna knew she was somewhat smitten by Kyle ever since she met him, and seeing the bruises on his body and the vulnerability in his eyes sent a strange pain through her chest. She felt like her old wounds had been reopened.

What had happened to him? Who had done this to him? How could someone do this to someone like him? So many questions ran through her mind.

Kyle simply looked down, unable to answer any of them.

Jenna walked towards him and gently took his face in her hands, stroking the bruises gently with her thumbs. Whoever had done this was going to pay dearly.
***

Jenna's warm hands and soft gaze on Kyle made butterflies erupt in his stomach. He was trying to tell himself to stop and think about something else, apart from how close her face was and how soft her lips looked. At least she's not disgusted by me, he thought.
***

After his awkward exchange with Jenna, which had left all three of them with a deep blush in their cheeks, it had been decided that he was going to need appropriate clothing for the event.

He was being sent for the fittings with a grim faced, muscular man who seemed to be in his thirties. Jenna called him Percy.

The prospect of being alone in a car with a guy like him was somewhat scary for him, and it must have shown on his face, because Jenna asked Dana to accompany him to the place.

He watched as Percy's eyes lingered on Jenna even after she had turned away from him.

As they got into the large black Lexus, Dana sat in the front chattering away with the chauffeur, leaving Kyle in an awkward silence in the backseat with Percy. He sat next to him, avoiding any sort of contact and began looking out the window at the people walking outside.

They were people just like him, stuck in a similar race to make their life better. His mind kept flitting back to the apartment. He wondered if they had realized he had left for good. He imagined Greg's face, angry at him leaving so abruptly. A wave of nausea ran through his body at the thought of him.

But where was he going to stay now? He had left the only place he had called home since he left his parents.

"I was eighteen when I ran away from home," said Percy's low voice softly, just audible to Kyle among the backdrop of Dana's cheerful chattering. His brown eyed gaze was focussed towards the road in the front as he spoke.

Kyle looked at him, a little startled.

"I've been on the streets for ten years before I met Yvonne. Throughout that time, I've had lots of experiences. Some were good, some were bad and some were downright horrible." He paused and turned his neck to look outside the window, exposing the top of a dark tattoo just hidden below the collar of his shirt. "What I'm trying to say is that you're not alone in whatever you are going through. If you ever decide you want to talk about it, just remember that I understand."

"Thanks," said Kyle, nodding slightly. He didn't know what else to say.

"You guys alright back there?" Came Dana's cheerful voice.

Kyle nodded.

"You are going to love Jo!" She said happily.

Josephine Leroy Moreau, was Dana's sister Amelia's girlfriend. She was one of the most famous fashion designers in men's fashion and was a very busy woman. Kyle had read about her. She was the sort of people who never interacted with the media at all.

As the car arrived at a posh boutique, Kyle felt his palms sweating. He had never really worn designer clothes, and going to a designer boutique was a whole different thing. He always thought of it as a big waste of money.

Percy lead Kyle through the door to the counter.

"We have an appointment with Miss Mor-" He began, but a fabulous looking woman in a light pink suit and bright pink, short hair walked up to him.

"Percival, dahling!" She said, air kissing his cheeks on both sides. Then she noticed Dana. Both the women screamed out loud, startling Kyle.

"Dana!" Screamed Jo, giving her a big hug. "It's been weeks since I saw you! You slayed it at Paris, by the way," she said, winking at her. "How is Yvy? She called to tell me that she was sending a new friend."

Then she seemed to have spotted Kyle.

"Ah, you must be the man." She stood there, looking disapprovingly at his clothes. "A work in progress, but I'm sure we can make some improvement." She said, snobbily, motioning for them to follow her.

Kyle noticed Percy roll his eyes and awkwardly followed them into the shop. Dana walked gracefully to the racks, looking at the designs and commenting on them.

"Mr Crawford, am I correct?" Jo said, walking around the racks towards the back.

Kyle nodded.

"I am going to make you look so good at the ball, that no woman will be able to take their eyes off you." She pulled a couple of hangers with suits on them. "Let's start by checking your size." She said, handing him a pair of trousers and a jacket.

Kyle took the clothes and stepped into the changing room. It was a large room with a wooden door and a small sofa. He changed into the clothes and looked into the mirror, trying to ignore the bruises.

The simple black suit fit his slim form snuggly. He had never worn such a well fitting suit before. He never really paid much attention to his appearance. Guys weren't supposed to, anyway.

He walked out of the changing room to let Jo have a look at how it looked.

"Um, I think it looks okay," he said, stepping out. The collar of his jacket was biting into his neck, so he moved his hand to adjust it. He realized no one had spoken, so he looked up.

Jo and Dana were staring at him with an open mouth. Even Percy looked up from his phone to glance at him.

Kyle looked at his clothes to check if he was wearing anything wrong. Why were they staring at him like that?

After a few seconds, Jo cleared her throat. "I haven't seen a guy look this good in my creations in years," she said, stretching on her toes to reach his tall neck to adjust the collar of his jacket. "You have the body of a model."

Kyle blushed at the compliment, but he didn't say anything. He glanced at Dana, who gave him an approving smile.

"But black doesn't do justice to your face. We need a colour that will suit you better." She raised a finger and frowned, squinting into the distance.

After a few seconds of thinking, her eyes brightened. "Wait here. I'll bring my latest piece. It hasn't been introduced on the runway as yet, but it will make you look splendid!" She clapped excitedly and ran outside the room.

She returned, holding a cloth with a collar and shapes cut out, looking at it fondly. It hadn't been stitched yet.

"It's another black suit." He blurted out.

Jo looked appalled. "Do not insult the colour that way!" She cried. "It's Oxford Blue." Her eyes sent daggers at him. Kyle winced.

She draped the cloth around his shoulders. "Look at you. It brings out the colour of your eyes!"

Dana nodded in approval.

After taking his measurements, she told him it will take about three days for it to be stitched completely.

She also helped him pick out a pair of shoes for the ball.

"You need to showcase my creations on the runway some day. I will talk to Yvonne about this," she said, giving him one last look before disappearing behind the racks of clothing again, leaving Kyle standing there awkwardly.

As they were about to leave, Kyle turned to Dana. "I have about two thousand dollars in my backpack and more in the bank. I can quickly go and withdraw some money."

Dana looked at him, confused. Then realization dawned in her eyes. She let out a laugh. "You're not going to pay for the suit. Jo is almost my sister-in-law, my sister is going to propose to her soon," she said, her eyes twinkling, "Besides, Yvonne wouldn't have let you pay for it. You're doing her a favor."

Kyle thanked her, relieved. He really needed to save all the money he could, now that he didn't have a place to stay.
***

Jenna paced the floor restlessly as Yvonne sat on one of the chairs in her office, flipping through the file with Kyle's details. This was strange, because Jenna was usually the calm and implacable one, even in difficult situations. Juan, the receptionist, had just told them that Kyle had left a suitcase in the cloak room, leaving both of them perplexed.

"I cannot believe I didn't know one of his roommates was a convicted sex offender before," said Jenna, running a hand through her hair. She had her people investigate him carefully since she had met him a few days ago.

She paused, pulling at her hair in frustration. "I want to kill them! I want to torture them to death!" She cried. She knew it reminded Jenna of her past and anger burnt in Yvonne's chest as well, realizing with a pang of jealousy that Jenna really cared about Kyle.

"Now, now. Let's not be rash," said Yvonne, standing up and holding her friend's shoulder. "We should solve the matter at hand instead. Where is he going to stay?"

"He can stay at my place," said Jenna quickly, a blush coating her cheeks.

"You have Mikey at home. Don't you think that'll be a problem?" For some reason, she did not like the idea of Kyle staying with Jenna. "I think it will be safe to let him stay at my place. I'm sure Gordon will let him stay in the extra room on his floor. Plus, it makes sense for him to be staying at my place, considering he's pretending to be dating me."

Just as Jenna was about to respond, the door opened and Dana, Gordon and Kyle walked in. She could not take her eyes off him.

Maybe it was the way his loose shirt hung half out of the waist of his trousers, the small chipped part of rubber at the tip of his sneakers, the way the sleeves of the shirt stretched over his folded over his arms, slightly accentuating the lean muscles or the way his dark blonde hair lay messily on his head.

She couldn't place exactly what it was, but he looked beautifully out of place with her friends, an ethereal sort of awkwardness, as if the moon were shining in the middle of the day.

Dana and Gordon had warmed up to him fast and she was still trying to get used to his presence.

Her heart leaped as she saw the small genuine smile he had on his face as he walked in, listening to Gordon murmuring something to him in his low voice, while Dana nodded along, laughing. Jenna joined in with a huge smile on her face and Yvonne sat and watched from afar. How had this man done this to them in just a few hours?

"Gordon," she said, picking up Kyle's file discreetly and moving into the office next door, "I need to have a word with you."

A/N: What do you think is going to happen next?