Chapter Text
2 Months Ago…
Coriolanus Snow stepped out of the shower an hour earlier than usual and proceeded to towel-off and dress. He blow-dried his damp hair, styled it, brushed his teeth and applied the appropriate amount of cologne for a rising political star in his late 20s.
Today was a big day.
After a decade of working for Senator Strabo Plinth as his personal assistant and initially in high school as a volunteer whenever he had the free time, he was going to be promoted from scheduler to campaign manager in President Ravinstill’s next campaign for the presidency.
He had all the experience under his belt, and with dreams of winning the presidency for himself one day, he knew this was one ticket he had to grab. He’d worked too hard, and he had the right people in his corner. Even his antagonistic boss, Casca Highbottom couldn’t deny him what he rightfully deserved.
A cheerful jingle coming from his phone in his bedroom signified his cousin calling him, probably to give him a pep talk for the day. He didn’t necessarily need it. He was confident, but Tigris was a sweetheart, and she meant well.
He scooped up his phone and put it on speaker.
“Tigris, hey.”
“Coryo! Hi!” she cheered, as if they hadn’t seen each other in a year – which was probably true, given all the late nights he’d given to politics.
They still talked frequently though when he had the time. Tigris always made time for him.
“Are you excited? Are you nervous? Oh, you’re gonna knock ‘em dead!” she gushed.
Coriolanus chuckled.
“I am excited,” he confided. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
“Ten years,” she reminded him, and he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
“Thanks for the reminder,” he drawled.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Coryo. It’s just you know how long we’ve been wanting you to win at this. You’re our next president in the making.”
He snorted.
“What does my dad think about that?”
“Forget him,” Tigris said. “He can’t see beyond his own nose sometimes.”
“True,” he allowed.
“I’m proud of you. Your mother’s proud of you, and Grandma’am too. You know she’s been envisioning you as president since you play-acted as one at the ripe age of six.”
He chuckled.
“Yes, I remember.”
“Just make sure to eat something before you go. You don’t want to fall over when Highbottom announces to the office that you’re the new campaign manager!” She laughed and cheered and clapped over the phone.
Coriolanus grinned from ear to ear. He could hardly contain his excitement.
“Yes, Mom,” he joked. “I promise to eat a well-balanced meal.”
He was really only planning on coffee and a pastry on his way to work, but Tigris didn’t need to know that. She’d find out soon enough the next time she bombarded his kitchen, which, if today was something to celebrate, she’d fly all the way from Alaska to Washington D.C. just to make sure he was eating properly.
“Okay, I have to go get ready, but you tell me how it went on your lunch break. Promise?”
“I promise.” He paused, his smile still so wide it hurt. “Thanks, Tigris.”
“Love you, Coryo. Muah!” She blew a kiss through the phone.
He shook his head, still smiling.
“Love you more.”
Click.
And with a slide into his suit jacket, he grabbed his keys and made his way to the elevator of his building. He had time to kill, maybe just enough to see the cute girl at the coffee shop down the street and cut in front of everyone in line so he could grab his and Casca’s coffees on his way to the office.
Paying before he got there had its perks, but he didn’t see the petite girl with the brunette curls and colorful hairpiece when he walked through the door. His frown shifted into a grimace as a raven-haired interesting specimen of a woman came into view calling his name.
“Cornelius!”
He groaned.
“Lucy Gray quit,” she said, by way of explanation when he opened his mouth to ask.
He actually pouted before muttering a thanks for his drinks.
She quit? What could’ve made her want to quit?
Granted working in a coffee shop probably wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It certainly wasn’t for him the one summer he’d attempted it alongside his internship with Strabo Plinth, but still. He’d miss seeing her smiling face every morning when he came to collect his coffees-to-go.
Pushing past the possibility of never seeing Lucy Gray again in his life, he burst through the door and power-walked the rest of the way to the campaign building. Stepping inside, he stopped briefly at his cubicle to set down his coffee and then knocked lightly on the glass door of Casca Highbottom’s office before stepping inside when he saw the gesture from the short man behind his desk.
Highbottom hung up his phone the moment Coriolanus stepped inside his office and set the coffee down on his desk.
“Good morning, Mr. Highbottom.”
“Boss works just fine, Mr. Snow, I’ve told you that.”
“Of course. My apologies.”
Casca sipped loudly at his drink, then set it down with distaste.
“Did you order the right beverage, Snow? Or did you go somewhere different?”
Coriolanus frowned.
“I went the same place as always, Sir. Boss.” He scrambled to think of another reason why the drink would’ve come out bad. “I was told one of the girls quit though. That might’ve been why it’s not to your liking. Maybe she makes it every time.”
“I bet she does. Hmm.”
“Sir?”
Casca looked up at him.
“Well, go, gather the masses. I have an important announcement to make, as you know.”
“Yes, sir. Boss. Sir.” He held back from almost saluting.
“Oh, and Snow?”
He turned to look over his shoulder.
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
His lips thinned, but other than that he didn’t give away any signs of disappointment. It was the first time in weeks Casca had given any sign he knew who the new Campaign Manager would be. From all accounts, Coriolanus was at the top of the list. But now…? Now, he worried. Who else could it possibly be? Anyone else had been in the campaign for less than a month, and he’d been in every campaign for years. Surely he deserved it more than anybody.
All the other employees, young and older, gathered into Casca Highbottom’s large office overlooking the city within minutes of Coriolanus’ prodding. There was a hum of conversation, especially when they saw the grim look on Coriolanus’ face. Practically everyone in the office had assumed he would be the next Campaign Manager. But if it wasn’t him, then who?
“Quiet. Quiet down,” Casca barked, and the masses were instantly silenced. “Now I know you’re all curious about who is superseding me as Campaign Manager for President Ravinstill’s next run at office.”
Everyone kept rapt attention on their ominous-sounding boss.
“I’ve thought long and hard about this. I’ve looked at it from every angle. Gone over background checks, experience, extra-curriculars, and education. And I’ve found who I believe is the best candidate for the job. And given I know her better than anyone here, I think I can say without a doubt she’s the right choice for Campaign Manager.”
He reached across the desk for his phone, picked it up and whispered something no one could quite make out before setting the phone back down in its holder.
Then the glass door to everyone’s right pushed open and inside walked…the coffee girl!
Only she wasn’t dressed at all like she worked at a coffee shop. In a colorful flowing skirt with a matching hairpiece, her pristine top made her look like a professional with a little flair. She clutched a binder in her arms and walked past the crowd to stand beside Casca Highbottom.
“This is…”
“Lucy Gray,” Coriolanus blurted without thinking, his tone cold and numb, his mouth run dry.
Her eyes caught to his immediately.
“Coriolanus! This is where you work?”
“He wanted your job, sweetheart,” One of the other workers egged her on, nudging Coriolanus in his side. His lips thinned.
“Enough!” Casca silenced them. “You will all address Lucy Gray, my niece twice-removed, as Ms. Baird going forward. You will treat her with respect and do what she tells you to do or I’ll hear of it and fire the lot of you from my retreated position in the company.”
“Yes, Sir,” Everyone muttered in response.
“Go now. Everyone, get back to work.”
The masses emptied out of the office, but Coriolanus couldn’t move. He was in disbelief.
“Something you wanted to say, Snow?” Casca asked, daring him to lash out.
“She’s a coffee girl,” he spat, making Lucy Gray tense up and Casca boil over in fury.
“She’s a hell of a lot more than that, which you’ll find out once you get to know her in your capacity as her personal assistant.”
Coriolanus scoffed.
“Like hell. I deserved that position. I worked hard for it, and you knew I was the one who was going to get it, so you went digging in your family tree till you found someone that was adequate enough for the job.”
“Coriolanus Snow, one more word out of you, and I’ll be looking for two replacements today, not just one.”
Coriolanus wanted to say a hell of a lot more, but he didn’t want to lose his job. So, he clenched his teeth and stormed out, promising himself he wouldn’t let a pretty little thing like Lucy Gray Baird fluster him or keep him from getting ahead ever again.
He’d be the best damn assistant she ever had, and one day he’d pull the sheets out from under her so she’d be the one looking for work, and she’d be lucky if she found it in a coffee shop, let alone a political campaign office.
He swore it.