"Why the fuck can't you do this right?" Reuben slapped Devon across the face. Devon fell off the ladder, and the metal ladder crashed to the floor, making a sound louder than Devon's body hitting the ground. The brush flew across the room and landed with a thud. The white paint bucket tipped over, spilling paint all over the shiny gray floor.

Reuben dragged Devon up by his t-shirt, pulling him to his feet. Devon's cheek was red from the slap, and he was on the verge of tears but somehow held them back.

"Is this how I asked you to paint the wall?" Reuben yelled with all his strength.

Devon said nothing. He had done what he thought was right.

"Why aren't you talking?" Reuben shouted, starting to hit Devon in a rage.

Livia was watching a TV series when she heard the commotion. At first, she thought the sound might have come from Clara or Teddy's rooms. But when she rushed out of her room, she saw Clara and Teddy standing outside, listening to their father's angry voice. Livia felt relieved.

Livia went into the room where Reuben and Devon were. "What happened?" she asked.

"Look at how this idiot painted the wall. Didn't I teach you how to paint it? Didn't I? Livia, didn't you see me teach him how to paint it?" Reuben screamed.

Livia looked at the walls, and yes, they weren't painted well. But no one could expect Devon to paint like a professional; he wasn't one. Livia glanced at Devon, who was staring at the floor while Reuben held his arm tightly. Devon's hair was a mess, and there was some blood on his lips, likely from the slaps Reuben had given him.

"Yes, it's bad. It's really bad," Livia said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Inside the room, they heard Reuben's loud ranting, followed by the sound of hitting, and Devon's cries of pain. Then it stopped. It was just normal in this household. Livia and her children didn't care about what their father did to Devon. Devon was no one. He was adopted. Adopted for Clara and Teddy's safety. Otherwise, they would be the victims of Reuben.

It was Livia's idea to adopt a child. So she found one. Because they had money and knew some people who worked in those areas, it wasn't hard for them to find a child. With their money and good reputation, no one suspected they would be bad parents. So everything happened easily.

After about 30 minutes, the door to the room opened. Reuben came out, looking calm now that his anger had been released. Devon followed, with ripped clothes and bloodstains here and there, as usual. He slowly walked to his room in the basement.