Chapter 6: Come Back Here, And Kneel
"Copied you? Ma’am... Knitting isn’t just a skill you can copy on sight." Sofia reasoned, staring at her, trying to bring logic to an impossible situation. A craft honed over years couldn’t just be miraculously replicated on the spot.
"You!!" The Fat Pig was enraged, her face flushing red with indignation. She then pointed fiercely at the scarf:
"Then how can you explain this?!!"
"This?"
Sofia was lost. She stared at the two scarves, completely dumbfounded. Both scarves are identical, even the yarn are the exact shape and size, the tension of the stitches perfectly mirrored. It defied all logic.
"Stop yelling, Fat pig!! You are the one who copied my wife!!"
Asher yelled, crossing his arms on his chest, his gaze cold and unwavering. The way he yelled was so loud, carrying absolute authority, that everyone, including Juliana, turned to him, stunned. He wasn’t cowering; he was challenging them head-on.
"Hey!! The two scarves are the same, and we watched the process, you can’t just blame someone!" The leading man stated coldly, stepping forward to intimidate Asher and protect their scam.
"So when your fat boss did it, you remained silent." Asher fired back without missing a beat, exposing their blatant hypocrisy.
"You!" The muscular man snarled, raising a fist.
"Shut up!" Asher cut him off sharply, not giving him an inch of ground, and pointed a steady finger at the scarf on the woman’s side of the table:
"My proof is in that scarf!" He revealed, his confident declaration causing everyone in the crowd to turn towards the scarf.
"Really?" Whispered the onlookers, curiosity peaking.
Amidst everyone’s gaze, Asher walked calmly towards the scarf, and picked it up. He then walked towards the bags of already made scarves and jackets Juliana had brought with her, taking a scarf and a jacket out from it. He handled her work with surprising care.
"Look at this everyone!!" He announced, taking control of the entire space.
He placed the red jacket and scarf on the table, then placed the Fat lady’s white scarf beside them. Seeing his deliberate action, everyone moved closer to the table, staring at the things, eager to see the trick unraveled.
"Look at her white scarf... What’s the size of yarn she used here?" He asked, pointing directly at the signature Star mark woven into the fabric.
Sofia moved closer, staring intently at the red yarn on the white scarf: "That’s a size 2 yarn," she said, looking up at Asher in confusion. She didn’t see the trap he was setting.
"What’s the problem there? Is that your proof?!!" The Fat lady asked with a slight frown, her arms crossed on her chest to maintain her bravado, though a bead of sweat formed on her brow.
"Yup." Asher pointed at the original red jacket and scarf Juliana had made at home: "What are the yarn used there?" He asked, his voice steady.
Sofia blinked, and turned to the two clothes, and after closely checking the star signature on them, her eyes went wide with sudden realization: "Size 1 yarn."
"Good!" Asher gestured to Juliana, who nodded, completely in sync with him, and handed him her newly knitted white scarf:
"Now look at my wife’s white scarf."
Sofia and the audience checked the white scarf, and it was exactly Size 1 yarn, just like the one used on the jacket and scarf.
"Size 1." Sofia breathed out, amazed.
"Correct!" Asher yelled, placing his hands flat on the table, cornering his prey:
"This proves my wife made all these clothes!! And someone is out here, insulting her of copying when they’re the one copying others!!"
"...?!"
Everyone, including the fat pig, was stunned by the undeniable, physical proof.
’Shit!! So that’s why he covered her, and waited!! She must have switched the yarn then!! I don’t get it, is this guy always staying beside her when she knit, or he just paid good attention to his wife’s stuffs to know such a thing?!’ Fat pig thought in absolute rage, her fingers clenched by her side. She hadn’t expected the husband to be so observant. Asher had only seen Juliana knitting for a few minutes that morning, but that wasn’t the first time.
"So you are the one plagiarizing others’ works, and you dare insult others!!"
"What a vicious woman!!!"
"Apologize right now!!"
"Yes!!"
The people instantly exploded in rage, yelling at the group of six. The tide of public opinion had completely turned.
"What do you have to say now?!" Asher asked, staring down at Fat pig.
Juliana stared at her husband, stunned speechless. She wanted to say something, to thank him or question how he noticed such a tiny detail, but held back, lowering her gaze to the ground. Her heart pounded in her chest. The man she had held a knife to the night before had just stepped in front of a gang to protect her pride, using nothing but his sheer intellect.
"You? You?! You don’t have any proof!! I just chose to use this yarn today, because I have used it countless times." The fat woman lied, grasping at straws.
Everyone frowned at her with disgust; How shameless can someone be?
Asher chuckled in anger, a dark sound that lacked any humor: "You previously said that was your signature on all your work, so why would you change your signature in such a serious battle? You should have focused on that, so the one copying won’t be able to?" He asked, dismantling her lie.
"....?!"
Asher continued, his tone getting even colder, drawing upon his vast knowledge. He might be weak physically, but he knew exactly how Awakeners operated:
"As for why you can even knit. Before this started, one of your men placed a copy skill on my wife, then linked it to you... Whatever my wife do, you simply followed. But there is one disadvantage to this skill... The one linked, must have his or her eyes on the other linked target. This is also why you are always looking at my wife."
"You?! How did you know that?!" She stammered in absolute shock, her deepest secret exposed.
"Because I am not a fool." He stretched his hand towards her, demanding surrender:
"Alright, the Bet! Kneel down and apologize to my wife, and place the one hundred thousand dollars, then get lost."
"Don’t go too far!!" The fat woman slapped a plastic card on the table, trying to salvage any shred of dignity:
"The money is in this card!!"
Asher shook his head, refusing to fall for another trick, and brought out his phone, stretching the scan transfer screen toward her:
"Send the money to my account... I don’t need your card." He knew all too well that a card could be empty, reported stolen, or canceled the second they walked away.
"...?!!"
"Do you think the Madam will cheat you?!!" The muscular man barked.
"With your personality, you will," Asher answered flatly, his deadpan honesty silencing the thug.
The fat woman gritted her teeth in rage, vibrating with humiliation. She brought out her phone, and sent the money. With that confirmation pinging on Asher’s device, she scoffed, and turned around to flee the scene.
"Hey! Aren’t you forgetting something?!" Asher called out loudly, a slight frown on his face. He wasn’t going to let them escape the full terms of the bet. Not after they threatened Juliana.
"Come back here, and kneel down."