WELCOME TO THE FAMILY JEWELS
━━ Chapter One: In the Name of Power

    The Capitol was a city of glimmering opulence, each shining tower a testament to the unwavering power of those who ruled from its heart. Yet, for all the gleaming surfaces, there was an undercurrent of discontent, a murmur among the citizens that Coriolanus Snow had begun to hear more clearly with each passing day. The sponsors were pulling back. The Capitol’s elite were losing interest in him.

He stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of his penthouse, staring out at the pristine skyline. The golden light of early evening reflected off the metal structures, giving the whole city the illusion of warmth. But within, Coriolanus felt the cold.

The public image of him, once that of a beloved champion of the Capitol, was fading. Every choice he made, every harsh decision he issued as a Gamemaker, seemed to push him further from their favor. The Games had grown more brutal over the years — there was no room for softness in the arena, after all. But there was a lingering suspicion, a fear, that perhaps Coriolanus’s thirst for power extended beyond what the people were willing to accept. He could feel it, their admiration slipping through his fingers like sand.

The sharp sound of heels clicking on the polished marble floor broke through his thoughts, and Coriolanus turned to see Dr. Volumnia Gaul entering the room. Her expression was unreadable, but her presence — always calculated, always knowing — carried a weight of its own. She was no stranger to manipulation, and Coriolanus had learned long ago that she rarely spoke without a purpose.

"You're losing them, Coriolanus," she said, her voice smooth, but with an edge of something sharper lurking beneath.

He raised an eyebrow, his posture stiffening. "I’m not losing anyone," he replied, his voice cool, controlled. "The Capitol loves me. They just need to be reminded." 

Gaul’s lips curled slightly, her gaze steady as she assessed him. "You know as well as I do that the Capitol isn’t about love. It’s about vanity. The Capitol doesn’t care about who you are — they care about who they can become through you. If you want their votes, their adoration, you have to give them something they can relate to. Something that excites them. Something that makes them feel alive, even if only for a fleeting moment."

She walked over to his desk, where a stack of magazines lay in neat order. Gaul picked one up, flicking it open with an almost dismissive gesture. "You can’t expect them to vote for you just because you have the right connections or the right ambition. The Capitol thrives on stories. Vicarious stories. The kind that make people feel as though they, too, are part of the greatness they see around them."

Coriolanus furrowed his brow, uncertainty creeping in. "What are you suggesting?"

Gaul didn’t answer immediately. She turned the magazine around to face him, her fingers pointing to a full-page image. It was a photograph of a woman, striking and poised — her presence undeniable. The woman’s dark eyes were locked onto the camera with an intensity that could only be described as captivating.

Coriolanus stared at the image, his mind racing. "Kyra Malhotra," he muttered, recognizing the face immediately.

"Exactly," Gaul said, her voice soft but cutting. "Kyra Malhotra. A designer. A rising star in the Capitol. She’s the perfect match for you, Coriolanus. Not just because of her influence, but because she represents everything the Capitol craves. Elegance, ambition, power. She’s a woman who’s always in control of her narrative, just like you. She knows how to play the game."

Coriolanus studied the photo again, the way Kyra's eyes seemed to promise something just out of reach, something dangerous yet desirable. "And what do you expect me to do with her?" he asked, though the thought was already forming in his mind.

Gaul’s gaze never wavered as she continued. "You marry her. You create a story— your story. A story that will make the Capitol believe in you. You’re the man who’s ambitious, yes, but also human, relatable. The boy who rose from the ashes, who found love in the most unlikely of places. Kyra will be the one they project their hopes and desires onto. The perfect Capitol couple. And in doing so, you’ll humanize yourself in their eyes."

A silence fell between them, thick with the weight of the suggestion. Coriolanus didn’t speak immediately, his mind turning over the idea. His eyes lingered on Kyra’s image, her polished beauty almost too perfect to be real. She would play her part. And so would he.

Finally, he looked up at Gaul, his expression sharp and calculating. "And what do I get out of it, besides a carefully curated image?"

Gaul smiled, a slow, knowing grin. "You get the Presidency. You get everything you’ve ever wanted. But you’ll need her for that. She will be the bridge between your ambitions and the people’s approval."

Coriolanus lifted the magazine, the edges of the paper crisp beneath his fingertips. He stared at Kyra’s photo longer than necessary, feeling the first stirrings of an idea.

He knew of her, of course. Everyone in the Capitol did. A designer on the rise, a darling of the fashion world, a starlet with ambition gleaming beneath her polite smiles. She was not some foolish socialite to be controlled easily — but she had charm. Charisma. And more importantly, the people's heart.

The beginnings of a new strategy unfurled in his mind — cold and sharp and inevitable.

His lips curled into a faint smile, his mind already racing with possibilities. "I’ll make the arrangements," he said, his voice firm.

Gaul nodded, a small, satisfied glint in her eyes. "I thought you might."

And just like that, the first chess piece moved across the board.

✶.ᐟ SELENA SPEAKS: Selena updating consistently? Who even am I?

My dumbass finally learned how to plan out a plot and now it's so much easier to write than to just go with the flow. I've been writing for almost a decade and just know learned how important it is to write down the whole plot before starting -- growing and learning, I guess.

Anyways, not much to say about this one! I hope you're enjoying the rewritten version as much as you did the last messy one! This book is at almost 3K views which I think is the highest number a story of mine ever achieved, so you can imagine how excited I am to continue it!

Thank you so much for the support and love! Your comments are always so nice and motivating, I'm sure I've got the best readers! I love you all so much and hope to see you soon <3