"Breaking news—Hans Serra returns as Summit Group's general manager," the anchor said.
"Seriously?" someone behind Annika laughed.
"Watch the screen," another voice said.
Annika kept her hands on the railing and watched the plaza LED. The anchor's face filled the screen, then footage of Hans stepping off a private jet, a sharp suit, the cameras loving him. The footage cut to a younger Hans at a graduation stage. The crowd in the plaza leaned forward as if the screen might reach into their pockets.
"That's him. The golden boy," a woman said, phone held high to film.
"Isn't he the one who left all those kids back in Riverside?" a man asked.
"He dumped his high-school sweetheart, didn't he?" someone added.
Annika's throat closed. A close-up from the footage slid across the screen and the camera snagged her face—just a quick pan of the crowd where she had been standing earlier while waiting for the bus. Her mouth opened on camera. She didn't move. People in the plaza pointed. Phones buzzed.
"That's her, right? The girl from Riverside," a kid shouted.
"Annika Cox," someone stated like a verdict. Cameras zoomed in, comments lit up on live feeds, and someone shouted, "Bring her back for a picture!"
She turned away. Her fingers trembled while she searched for her phone.
"Annika?" Joanna's name lit the screen. Annika answered on instinct.
"Jo," Annika said.
"Did you see? Hans Serra just
