Blackhaven

The Paper Trail

“Don't get yourself involved in things you know nothing about.”

Those words still rang in his head as he lay on his bed, trying to sleep. Elena had told him she had to leave after her father's call, so he escorted her before going home himself.

So many strange things had happened that day.

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the missing shipment than he was aware of.

But Dominic's warning worried him most.

Then there was Elena. She had been acting differently since the call—more distant.

Maybe he was overthinking things. She had never given him any reason to doubt her.

He rolled onto his side and pulled the blanket over himself.

“Tomorrow, I'll figure it out.”

The next morning, Adrian woke up early and refreshed. He went to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and his mother.

He found some eggs, bread, and sausages in the refrigerator. He put the frying pan on the stove and started making breakfast.

Soon enough, he heard footsteps behind him.

“You're up early,” Clara said.

“Morning, Mum.”

“Morning.”

She pulled out a chair and sat down.

“You need help?”

“No, I can handle it. Besides, you made breakfast yesterday.”

“So we're counting scores now?”

They both laughed as he served her a plate.

“Coffee?”

“Yes, please.”

Adrian poured her a cup and sat down to eat.

For a brief moment, there was silence in the kitchen as Adrian stared at his plate.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“You've been staring at your food. Anything wrong at work?”

“We've been having some problems, but it's all good. I'm worried about Elena.”

Clara frowned with concern.

“What's wrong with her?”

Adrian leaned back.

“She seemed distant yesterday after her father's call.”

“Maybe she has family issues, or you're probably just assuming things.”

Adrian paused.

“Yeah. You're right.”

Clara smiled.

“You really love her, don't you?”

Adrian smiled back. It was the kind of smile he rarely wore. His smile answered her question.

“She means a lot to me,” Adrian said.

Clara watched him for a moment.

“More than you let her know?”

Adrian chuckled.

“Maybe.”

He looked down at his plate before continuing.

“I just want things to work out. For her, for me, for all of us.”

Clara's smile softened.

“Don't spend your whole life trying to fix everything for everyone, Adrian.”

He looked at her.

“Someone has to.”

“No.” She shook her head. “Sometimes people just need you to be there. That's different.”

Adrian was quiet for a moment.

“You sound like a therapist.”

Clara laughed.

“Maybe I should start charging you.”

Adrian smiled.

His phone buzzed on the table.

He glanced at the screen.

Mr. Owen: Come in as soon as you can. The shipment has been located.

Adrian's smile faded slightly.

Clara noticed.

“Work?”

“Yeah.”

He picked up his phone and stood.

“I should get going.”

Clara nodded.

“About Elena…”

“Yeah?”

“If something is bothering you, talk to her. Don't let your mind create answers for questions you haven't asked.”

Adrian smiled.

“I'll remember that.”

He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door

“Adrian.”

He turned.

“Remember, tomorrow will be kinder.”

“Of course.”

He opened the door.

“Love you, Mum.”

“Love you too.”

Adrian stepped outside, unaware that the shipment waiting for him at DeLuca Holdings would raise far more questions than it answered.

Adrian arrived at DeLuca Holdings expecting good news. He went straight to Mr. Owen's office as soon as he reached his floor.

He knocked before opening the door.

“Good morning, sir.”

“Morning, Adrian.”

Adrian got straight to the point.

“I heard the shipment was found, sir.”

“Yes. The personnel we sent to the Iron Docks came back reporting that the shipment was found at Dock 17.”

“But was all the cargo complete and accounted for?

”

“Everything was intact, Adrian. The complete boxes of industrial microchips and specialized electronic components were all there. However, the shipping manifest wasn't found.”

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

“That's unusual.”

“It is indeed.”

“May I suggest that we run security checks on the cargo to ensure it hasn't been compromised?”

Adrian asked confidently.

“You're right, actually. I've already informed the security officials, and they're on it as we speak.”

“Okay, sir.”

“Good job, Adrian. You can get back to work now.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Adrian opened the door and left.

Back at his desk, Adrian couldn't shake the suspicion surrounding the shipment.

Why was the shipping manifest missing when everything else was intact?

The question lingered in his mind.

He opened his computer and checked the missing shipment details again to see if he had missed something, but it was the same pattern:

Shipment destined for Dock 11.

Changed anonymously to Dock 17.

Found at Dock 17.

Still suspicious, Adrian logged into the company's internal logistics management system, reserved for senior staff and authorized personnel. He used the password Mr. Owen had once given him. He had known he would need it someday, so he had memorized it.

He checked previous shipment records, filtering them by destination, date, and cargo type.

At first, nothing seemed unusual.

Shipment after shipment had been delivered, signed for, and marked as completed.

Adrian was about to give up when he noticed something.

He went back to the search filters and entered Dock 17.

The results appeared on the screen.

One shipment.

Then another.

Then a third.

Adrian frowned.

All three shipments had something in common.

They had originally been assigned to different destinations before being redirected to Dock 17.

He opened the first record.

Destination changed: 11:32 p.m.

He opened the second.

Destination changed: 10:48 p.m.

The third had been changed at 11:06 p.m.

Adrian leaned closer to the screen.

“What the hell?”

He opened the records again, comparing the details.

Different dates.

Different shipments.

Different original destinations.

But the same pattern.

Original destination.

Anonymous change.

Dock 17.

Adrian's fingers stopped on the keyboard.

This wasn't the first time.

He clicked on the cargo details.

Specialized electronic components.

The same type of cargo as the shipment recovered that morning.

Adrian leaned back slowly.

Someone had been redirecting these shipments long before the one he'd discovered.

He opened another record.

Then another.

Three became four.

Four became five.

His stomach tightened.

“How long has this been happening?”

He glanced around the operations floor.

Everyone was busy with their work.

Nobody seemed to notice what he had just discovered.

Adrian quickly opened the authorization logs.

ACCESS DENIED.

He frowned.

He tried again.

ACCESS DENIED.

The system required executive clearance.

Adrian stared at the screen.

Whoever had been changing the destinations hadn't simply hidden their identity. They had made sure ordinary employees couldn't trace it.

And this had been going on for months.

He reached for his phone.

His thumb hovered over Mr. Owen's name.

Then he stopped.

Dominic's words returned to him.

Don't get yourself involved in things you know nothing about.

For the first time, he wondered whether Dominic already knew about the other shipments.

Adrian turned back to his computer.

He opened the next shipment record, determined to see if there were any other similarities.

Before he could continue, a small notification appeared in the corner of his screen.

SECURITY ALERT: RESTRICTED ACCESS DETECTED.

Adrian froze.

He hadn't expected that.

He quickly closed the shipment records and stared at the notification.

For a moment, he considered reopening them.

Instead, he logged out.

He looked around the operations floor.

Everyone seemed busy with their work. Phones were ringing, keyboards were clicking, and employees moved between desks carrying files.

Nobody appeared to have noticed anything.

Adrian leaned back in his chair.

Maybe it was just a routine security check.

He wasn't convinced.

He reached for his phone and glanced at the time.

He had spent nearly an hour going through records he probably shouldn't have been accessing in the first place.

“Maybe Dominic was right,” he muttered.

He shook his head.

No.

There was something wrong with those shipments, and he wasn't imagining it.

How could the biggest logistics and freight transportation company in Blackhaven, perhaps even in all of Asterra, experience this level of inconsistency?

He stood and walked toward the break room, leaving his computer behind.

He didn't notice the small red indicator still blinking on the screen.

ACCESS LOG RECORDED.

USER: ADRIAN VALE.

TIME: 10:18 A.M.

DATABASE: RESTRICTED LOGISTICS ARCHIVE.

Several floors above, Dominic's computer chimed.

He glanced at the notification.

His expression remained calm as he opened the security report.

He read Adrian's name once.

Then again.

Dominic leaned back in his chair.

He studied the report again, this time more carefully. Adrian had only been with the company for a short while, yet he had already noticed something that most employees would have overlooked.

Dominic wasn't sure whether to find that impressive or concerning. Curiosity could be useful, but in the wrong hands, it could become dangerous. He glanced at the restricted access records once more before reaching for his phone.

“So he didn't listen.”

He picked up his phone and dialled a number.

The call connected after a few rings.

“It's Adrian Vale.”

He listened.

“He's accessed the restricted shipment records.”

Another pause.

Dominic glanced at the report again.

“No. He hasn't found anything significant.”

He listened quietly.

“He knows the shipments were redirected. He's also found several older records with similar changes.”

Silence.

Dominic's eyes narrowed slightly.

“Do you want me to stop him?”

He waited for the response.

Whatever

he heard made him pause.

“Understood.”

The call ended.

Dominic placed the phone on his desk and stared at Adrian's name on the screen.

Downstairs, Adrian returned to his desk and picked up his jacket.

He had no idea that his curiosity had just attracted the attention of someone far more powerful than Dominic DeLuca.

And whoever that person was…

They had been watching him long before Adrian ever realized he was being watched.