Chapter 5: Unmasking The Lie
"You don’t have to worry about the car, you are more important."
The words came out from Asher’s lips without him even knowing.
What was he saying? Without the car, he lost his primary transportation—his only way to search for jobs across the vast city. But compared to Juliana’s dignity, a car is nothing. For the first time, he was treating her not as an aggressive stranger or a forced burden, but as his wife. He smiled, and tried to hold her hand, and succeeded.
"Don’t think about the car, just focus on knitting." He said, a small, reassuring smile on his face.
’Her hand is so soft... I don’t know what entered her, but this is good.’ He felt the sudden tension in her fingers melt away, replaced by a quiet trust that sent a strange warmth through his chest.
"Hey! Are you two ignoring us?!!" Fat pig yelled, placing her arms on her massive hips, staring at the two with deep disgust.
"Ahem!" Asher let go, the sudden break in contact making him clear his throat, and turned around to face the six people. He stepped in front of Juliana, taking charge of the battlefield.
"Okay, if we prove these scarves belong to us! You will kneel down and apologize, not only that, you will compensate my wife one hundred thousand dollars for mental damage, do you dare accept?!" He asked, his gaze turning icy and cold.
"Hey!!! That car of yours is not even worth fifty thousand dollars!! How dare you ask for a hundred?!!" The Leader snapped, pointing an angry finger at Asher’s nose.
"Huh? You are scared already? Okay then, we will take the scarves and leave. Don’t forget, you’re the one who opted out." He shrugged nonchalantly, turning on his heel as if ready to walk away.
".....?"
"You?!!"
The six were stunned by his sheer audacity. He was completely turning the tables on them in front of the gathered crowd.
"Okay, I accept!" The fat pig, her pride stung by his taunt, stepped forward, and stood directly in front of Asher.
The woman’s body size was twice his, so she cast a massive, intimidating shadow on the poor Asher.
’Up close, she is this big?’ He thought in surprise, feeling the sheer physical presence of the woman.
"If you go back on this bet, I will make sure you suffer." She added, leaning in with a harsh glare.
’Gosh, isn’t that too clichéd?’ He thought, stifling an urge to roll his eyes. Then, he stretched his hand forward, not intimidated by her size in the slightest.
"Deal!"
"Good!!"
She slapped his hand away with heavy force, a sneer plastered on her face.
"Um... You can use my stand." Sofia stammered, gesturing nervously to her store filled with various high-quality knitting tools.
"Wait, are they really going to compete?" A woman in the crowd asked in surprise.
"It seems like it... This is also fun to watch." A man added, leaning against a pillar.
"Hmm... Let’s go! I want to stay in front."
_
Asher stood tall behind Juliana, who sat down on her working chair, while Fat Pig sat on hers. Both shared the long wooden table, but each set of tools was neatly divided into two for both sides.
"Okay, I want to ask a question." Sofia stepped forward, staring intently at the two women:
"How long does it take for you to knit a scarf?"
"Three hours." Juliana answered smoothly, her words stunning both Sofia and Asher.
Three hours? Only true experts who had practiced for years could knit that fast. But it was surprisingly good news for Asher. He doesn’t plan to stay too long outside, because both Kelly and Sara are still home alone; he doesn’t even know if they’d eaten lunch yet, and the thought of them waiting in silence worried him.
"Okay, what about you?" Sofia turned to the fat woman.
"Also three hours." She said, her voice dripping with self-assurance.
Asher raised an eyebrow, suspicion flickering in his eyes: ’Is she that good?!’ He thought, frowning slightly as he turned back to Juliana, who was already busy checking her tools with focused precision.
"Alright, you can start now."
With Sofia’s words, Juliana picked up her yarn and knitting needles, and got to work, her hands moving with incredible, effortless grace. Surprisingly, the Fat Pig also picked up the exact same tools, seamlessly following Juliana’s every movement.
’That should be a coincidence.’ Asher thought at first, but his sharp eyes remained locked onto the table. His attention wasn’t entirely on Juliana—he already knew what she could do when she put her mind to it—but the fat pig was acting strangely.
___
[Two Hours Later.]
[5:30 PM.]
Most of the onlookers had already left the place, tired of watching yarn spun in silence and leaving the boring competition behind. Others who didn’t have anything of value to do stayed behind, whispering amongst themselves, maybe waiting to see who the ultimate winner would be.
As Asher watched the interaction closely for two straight hours, a sudden realization sparked in his mind.
’Okay, I finally got it.’
Asher watched Juliana as she paused on her knitting, taking a momentary break to shift her wrist. The moment she stopped, he noticed the fat woman’s hands subtly stall, her eyes darting over. Asher quickly moved forward, and leaned right on Juliana’s side, positioning his broad frame to completely block her hands from the fat lady and her five men.
"....?!"
Juliana froze, turning her head to face him in shock. He was simply too close to her, his chest almost brushing her shoulder: "What are you doing?" She whispered, completely taken aback by his sudden, intimate action.
"Just continue." Asher whispered back softly, his warm breath tickling her ear. He then turned his head to glare at the fat pig, who was currently glaring at him with burning hatred.
"What happened? Why aren’t you knitting?" He asked, a sharp, knowing smirk spreading across his face.
Juliana blinked in surprise. She couldn’t see the fat pig’s frustrated face from behind Asher’s back, but she simply followed Asher’s words, putting her head down and focusing purely on her knitting.
’This bastard!! Did he discover something?!!’ The Fat lady thought, her face turning pale and red all at once. Her hands remained completely still, unable to make a single move.
After five tense minutes of absolute stillness, Asher finally stood upright again, stepping back. And instantly, as if a switch had been flipped, the fat lady started knitting again, moving faster than before to catch up.
Sofia noticed this blatant pattern, but remained silent.
___
[One Hour Later.]
[6:30 PM.]
"I am done." Juliana said softly, placing the beautiful, freshly woven white scarf flat on the table.
"Impressive!! You’re so good, Wife!" Asher yelled out loud with a bright, proud smile on his face, staring directly at Juliana, who suddenly turned bright red at the sudden compliment and title.
"I am also done!!" The fat woman yelled out right after, abruptly getting to her feet. She held up the exact same white scarf, a mirror image just like Juliana’s.
This stunned everyone present. The remaining crowd leaned in, confused. They had clearly watched the two parties create their scarves with their own eyes, so how come they were completely identical down to the thread?
The fat pig stared at Juliana’s scarf on the table, and then burst out in dramatic rage, pointing an accusing, trembling finger at her:
"You?!! You copied me again!! I knew this will happen?!!!"