The rumor reached Franz not through official channels but through a financial column he read most mornings before leaving the house.
If it had come through the foundation staff or the trustees, Arianne would have corrected it first. That was how those things worked. But this appeared in print before anyone thought to contain it, and so it landed in his hands instead of hers.
The article was cautious, almost restrained. It sat beneath a longer piece about shipping tariffs, the kind of placement designed to be noticed without appearing to reach. The writer referred to Rochefort Group's stability following Alexander's death and to the strengthening cooperation between Rochefort and Pemberton Corporation over the past year. Near the end, he mentioned the upcoming anniversary banquet. Several observers, the article noted, expected the event to signal a closer alignment between the two companies.
Franz read it twice.
