Silver Tears(32)

“That video…”

“…is worth a couple of hundred million kronor to the right blackmailer.” Alice laughed. “And I took a couple of stills just to be sure. Zoomed in good and proper. Faye, you have no idea. I’m getting half of everything. If I don’t, then Sweden is going to see rather more of financier Henrik Bergendahl than they would like. And I’m very doubtful that Sten Stolpe will want to carry on doing business with Henrik after seeing him taking the apple of his eye from behind.”

She shrugged slightly.

Faye leaned forward.

“Why are you still here in the house, given what happened with Henrik and the au pair?”

“Because it’s the house of my dreams. I’ve always been happy here. I’m not going to let him take that away from me. But I don’t use the bathroom. Once the divorce goes through, I’m going to have it converted into a walk-in closet.”

It was a still, light evening. A fish splashed down in the water and Alice turned toward the noise, stroking her own arm in a slow movement. She suddenly looked infinitely sad.

Faye cleared her throat gently.

“Is everything okay, Alice?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you miss Henrik?”

Alice laughed and stared at her.



“Are you crazy? I miss the kids when they’re not with me. But building your life around a man, waiting for him to come home, only seeing yourself in his reflection, by his side…being more a member of the household staff than his partner. No, I don’t miss that. It’s just that the days without the kids are lonely. The only people I spend any time with are my divorce lawyers.”

“I hope they’re good-looking at least. Fuckable.”

“Considering what I’m paying them, they should look like Greek gods. Alas. The chubby, bald look seems to be du jour in legal circles.”

“Oh, that’s a pity. But here’s to you,” said Faye with a laugh. “You need to find a man. I’m sure we can sort you out.”

“Yes, after all these years with Henrik’s micropenis, it’s about time I was reminded of what it feels like when it’s actually in there,” Alice said. “Cheers.”

Faye laughed so hard she nearly spurted wine through her nose. This new Alice was one she could be friends with.

They brought their wineglasses together, and Faye echoed her loudly. Both Henrik and Jack had always admonished them for saying cheers in that way.

“Vulgar,” the two of them said together in put-on voices and then collapsed in laughter again.

They did it again just for the hell of it. Faye took a swig. It was an exquisite wine.

“You have to fill your days with something, Alice. Otherwise you’ll go under. No disrespect to your divorce lawyers, but you need something to fight for. Everyone does.”

Alice nodded slowly. Her gaze swept thoughtfully across the water.

“I met Henrik when I was young and let him deal with everything to do with money. I’ve spent my entire working life as a well-paid, beautiful housemaid. We’re being honest with each other, right? Well, the thing I’m good at is throwing parties, smiling at my husband’s guests and making them feel comfortable. That was my area of expertise for all those years. Who would hire me?”



Faye shook her head. She sympathized with Alice. And in practical terms, the description had been accurate. But Alice had left out the most important bit.

“You’re a social genius, Alice. You know what makes the men in power tick because you’ve had them all around here as guests. And you know how women work. The rich ones who can pay their own way. That’s not the kind of knowledge you pick up at university. It’s actually worth a great deal.”

“To whom?”

“To me. And Revenge.”

Alice stared at her for a moment and then burst into peals of laughter.

“Honestly, Faye, I know you’ve had a glass of wine, but what on earth do you need me for? I appreciate the gesture, but you don’t need to do me any favors just because you feel sorry for me. I’m worthless, but I’ll manage.” She made a sweeping gesture with her wineglass. “Besides, you’ve got Kerstin—there’s no one who can compete with super-efficient Kerstin.”

Typical women, Faye thought to herself. Selling themselves short, unable to see their own worth. That was how we were raised. It’s what the world taught us. And the world is run by men who benefit from us wandering around in it seeing our worth only in relation to them.

She fixed her gaze on Alice.

“Don’t say that about yourself—don’t say you’re worthless. If you repeat it too often, it’ll stick and become the truth. And then the same will happen to your daughter. Kerstin is barely working part-time these days. She got involved with an orphanage in India—and a rather attractive man called Bengt who’s been introducing her to the delights of Mumbai—and now she goes out there as often as she can. I don’t begrudge her that. She deserves a fresh chance. But I need someone. I need you.”

She raised her glass to her mouth without letting Alice out of her gaze.

“Do you think I built Revenge by being nice? Handing out jobs as favors to my friends? No, I would never hire someone to be nice. I would never give a job to someone whose input didn’t immediately generate cash. You haven’t been to college—so what? Academic education isn’t worth a damn in real life. You know that. You’ve talked to those men with the fancy diplomas from American colleges and known you were smarter than them. You don’t understand figures, but you understand the world and the people operating in it. So quit feeling worthless. You’re already committed anyway, because you were one of the initial investors in Revenge.”