Chapter 21

The elevator doors had barely closed when Mr. Starr began staring at Amelia with an intensity that bordered on alarming. Amelia instinctively leaned back, her discomfort evident. Noticing her reaction, Mr. Starr quickly tried to explain, waving his hands frantically. "Wait, don't misunderstand! I just want to get that outfit off you!" Amelia stared at him, speechless. What kind of line is that? Realizing how his words sounded, he immediately backtracked, flustered. "No, no, that came out wrong! I'm a massive fan of the designer, Joey. Seeing her iconic piece in person… I got overexcited. My apologies, I didn't mean to be creepy." Amelia let out a breath, half-amused, half-annoyed. "It's fine. I know a few defensive moves, just in case." "You know Joey personally?" Mr. Starr asked, his eyes lighting up with hope. Amelia shook her head. "No." "But you must be close with her assistant, Leaf, then? So you've never even met Joey?" he pressed, suspicion lingering in his voice. Joey was famou