Blackhaven

Things we don't say

Tension built around the room.

Adrian checked the new destination.

It didn't match where the shipment was supposed to be taken.

One question beckoned in his mind—

WHO COULD HAVE DONE THIS?

Perhaps someone higher up.

Adrian looked up.

“The destination code was changed, sir, and I can't seem to—”

“Find out where it was changed?” Mr. Owen finished.

Adrian nodded.

Mr. Owen rubbed his forehead and glanced at the other employees on the operations floor. Everyone seemed to be waiting for an answer.

“When was the change made?” he asked.

Adrian turned back to the computer.

“According to the system, 11:47 last night.”

“Last night?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Owen leaned over his desk.

“Who authorized it?”

Adrian clicked through the shipment records.

“That’s the problem. There’s no name attached to the change.”

Mr. Owen's expression tightened.

“What do you mean, no name?”

“I mean exactly that. The destination was changed, but whoever made the change didn't leave a name.”

“Can you trace the account?”

Adrian paused.

“I can try.”

“Don't try.” Mr. Owen straightened. “Find it.”

Adrian looked at him.

Mr. Owen rarely spoke to him like that. In fact, this was the first time his supervisor had trusted him with something this important.

“Give me an hour,” Adrian said.

“You have thirty minutes.”

Adrian almost smiled.

“Might be kind of hard doing that with a computer that freezes every five minutes.”

Mr. Owen sighed.

“Just get it done.”

Adrian turned back to the screen.

He began tracing the shipment's movement through the system, checking each update one by one.

The original destination was Dock 11.

The new destination was Dock 17.

But something didn't make sense.

He opened the transport schedule.

Dock 17 wasn't receiving shipments that day.

Adrian frowned.

He checked again.

Nothing.

The shipment had been redirected to a dock that wasn't even scheduled to receive it.

“That can't be right,” he muttered.

“What?”

Adrian looked over his shoulder.

“Nothing.”

He returned to the screen.

Someone hadn't simply changed the destination.

They had deliberately sent the shipment somewhere it couldn't be properly tracked.

Adrian leaned back in his chair.

For the first time, the missing shipment didn't feel like a mistake.

It felt intentional.

His phone suddenly vibrated against the desk.

He glanced at the screen.

Elena ❤️

A small smile appeared on his face.

For a moment, the shipment disappeared from his mind.

He answered.

“Hey.”

“Finally,” Elena said. “I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me.”

Adrian leaned back in his chair.

“Believe me, I haven't.”

“You sound busy.”

“I am.”

“Still dealing with that missing shipment?”

Adrian looked at the computer screen.

“Yeah. It's a mess.”

There was a brief silence on the other end.

“You should come see me after work.”

Adrian smiled.

“I was planning to.”

“Good.”

Her voice softened.

“I missed you.”

Adrian's smile grew.

“I missed you too.”

He glanced toward Mr. Owen, who was now talking to another employee.

“See you later?”

“Definitely.”

The call ended.

Adrian stared at the phone for a moment before putting it back on the desk.

Then he turned toward the computer again.

The destination code was still staring back at him.

Something wasn't right.

But for the first time that morning, Adrian didn't care.

He had Elena waiting for him.

---

The executive floor was more sophisticated and spacious than the operations floor.

Adrian had told Mr. Owen that he couldn't determine who authorized the change, so he was instructed to go to the Executive Operations Manager for further investigation.

He approached the secretary's desk, where he met a cleanly dressed man about his height with dark hair and an aura that was hard to ignore.

The man looked up from the file in his hands and studied Adrian for a moment.

“You seem lost,” he said calmly.

Adrian straightened slightly.

“I'm looking for access to the executive shipment records.”

The man raised an eyebrow.

“Operations?”

Adrian nodded.

“Junior Operations Analyst.”

The man closed the file and placed it on the desk.

“What shipment?”

“The one redirected from Dock 11.”

For the first time, something changed in the man's expression. It wasn't surprise—more like interest.

“You noticed the change?”

Adrian frowned slightly.

“Yes.”

The man looked at him for another second before extending his hand.

“Dominic DeLuca.”

Adrian shook it.

“Adrian Vale.”

“I know.”

Those two words lingered in Adrian's mind.

Dominic turned toward the secretary.

“Give Mr. Vale temporary access.”

The secretary nodded immediately.

Adrian couldn't help but notice how quickly people responded to Dominic.

He wasn't just another executive.

People listened when he spoke.

Dominic looked back at Adrian.

“Come with me.”

Adrian followed him through the executive floor.

Glass offices lined the hallway, and employees moved quietly between meetings.

This place felt different from Operations.

Sharper.

More controlled.

Dominic stopped in front of an office and opened the door.

“Tell me everything you found,” he said as he took his seat, gesturing for Adrian to sit.

“We noticed a shipment that was supposed to arrive at Dock 11 at four yesterday. It didn't show up, so it was treated as a missing shipment. I checked the system today and found that the destination code had been changed to Dock 17 by an unknown person. I suggest someone should be sent to Iron Docks to check the status of the shipment.”

Dominic looked at him for a moment, seemingly surprised by how quickly he had pieced everything together.

“You checked the system yourself?”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you noticed the destination change?”

“Yes.”

Dominic leaned back in his chair.

“You said the shipment was supposed to arrive at Dock 11 at four yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“And you believe it was redirected?”

“According to the system, yes.”

Dominic nodded slowly.

“Interesting.”

He picked up the file lying on his desk and flipped through it.

“Did you check whether Dock 17 was scheduled to receive anything yesterday?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“There was no scheduled delivery.”

Dominic stopped turning the pages.

“You're sure?”

“I'm sure.”

Silence settled over the room.

Dominic reached for the telephone on his desk.

“Get someone to Iron Docks,” he said when the call connected. “I want the shipment located immediately.”

He ended the call and looked back at Adrian.

“You can go.”

Adrian stood, but before he reached the door, Dominic spoke again.

“Adrian.”

He turned.

“Yes, sir?”

“What made you check the destination code?”

Adrian thought for a moment.

“It didn't make sense.”

Dominic's eyes narrowed slightly.

“How so?”

“The shipment was scheduled for Dock 11. Changing it to Dock 17 wouldn't have solved the delay. It would have created another one.”

Dominic studied him silently.

Adrian waited.

Finally, Dominic gave a faint smile.

“I'll send someone to take care of it. You can go back to Operations.”

Adrian nodded.

As he reached the door, Dominic spoke again.

“A piece of advice, Adrian. Don't get yourself involved in things you know nothing about.”

Adrian paused.

“Sir?”

“You'll understand eventually.”

Dominic turned his attention back to the files in front of him, dismissing him.

Adrian walked out.

As the door closed behind him, Dominic looked down at the shipment file again.

Adrian Vale.

He repeated the name silently.

There was something about the young man that interested him.

---

After Adrian finished his shift, he left work exhausted, the day's events still ringing in his head.

Why did Dominic say those things to him?

But there was nothing he could do about it now. He had done his duty, and he was assured the issue would be taken care of.

The only thing that mattered to him at the moment was seeing his darling Elena.

He went to the rooftop of an abandoned apartment building in the Crown District.

The place was significant to him because it was where he and Elena had first met. He often went there after work to find solace and peace whenever the stress of Blackhaven became too much.

Adrian climbed the final flight of stairs and pushed open the rusty metal door leading to the rooftop.

The evening breeze greeted him as he stepped outside.

He walked toward the edge and leaned against the railing, looking out at the Crown District.

From up there, Blackhaven looked different. The noise from the streets seemed distant, and the lights of the city made everything look almost beautiful.

This was the only place Adrian could forget about work, bills, hospital appointments, and everything else waiting for him at home.

He checked his phone.

6:47 p.m.

She was late.

A smile crept across his face.

Elena was always late.

He remembered the first time they'd met on this same rooftop. He had come there after a terrible day at work, hoping to clear his head. She had been sitting on the floor with a book in her hands, looking completely at home in a place neither of them had any business being.

She had looked up at him and said, “You know this place isn't yours, right?”

He had laughed.

That was the beginning.

Two months later, they had turned the forgotten rooftop into their little escape from the rest of the world.

Adrian heard footsteps behind him.

He didn't turn around.

“You're late.”

“You missed me that much?”

Adrian smiled and finally turned around.

Elena stood by the doorway, a small smile on her face.

“Maybe,” he said.

“Maybe?”

“Don't push it.”

She laughed as she walked toward him.

For a moment, Adrian forgot about the shipment.

He forgot about the bills.

He forgot about everything.

Up there, with Elena beside him, the world seemed simple.

Elena moved closer to the railing.

“You were thinking about the Crown District again, weren't you?” she asked as she gently kissed him.

Adrian smiled.

“Yeah.”

“One day?”

“One day.”

She looked at him.

“You're very sure of yourself.”

“I'm sure about you.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Elena rested her head against his shoulder as the lights of Blackhaven flickered beneath them.

Adrian felt at peace.

Then Elena's phone rang.

She lifted her head and glanced at the screen.

Her smile disappeared.

“Who is it?” Adrian asked.

She hesitated.

“My father.”

She stepped away from him and answered.

“Hello?”

Adrian couldn't hear the voice on the other end, but he could see the ch

ange in her expression.

“I told you, I'm not getting involved in this.”

She listened.

“No. Adrian knows nothing.”

Adrian looked up.

Elena noticed him watching.

“I'll call you back.”

She ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket.

Adrian frowned.

“Everything okay?”

She smiled.

“Yeah. Just my dad being my dad.”

Adrian nodded, accepting the answer.

He reached for her hand again.

Elena took it.

But for the first time that day,her smile didn't reach her eyes.