Perfect Illusion Claudia Tan Novels & Stories

Perfection is something we all desire but what happens when the desire for perfection becomes the sole foundation of our life? In Eliza's case, things take a nasty turn. Hearts get broken, bodies will be found, blood will be shed, and a monster will be made. Beauty is pain. Eliza can testify to this. But how much pain will she have to go through, to remain beautiful? Get your blankets and your holy books. It's about to get real...

In the quiet, tree-lined neighborhood of Maplewood, Lisa Chen and Greyson Vale collide with the force of a summer storm—falling instantly, irrevocably in love despite their stubborn denials. Their romance burns hot and deep, a sanctuary built on whispered secrets and fevered passion. But their idyll shatters with the arrival of Tessy Moore, a stunningly beautiful new neighbor with honey-blonde hair, an easy smile, and a mysterious past tied to Grey’s life in Chicago. As Tessy weaves herself into their world with unsettling precision, Grey grows distant, cloaked in secrecy and evasiveness. When Lisa discovers a hotel receipt and overhears a cryptic conversation about debt and his estranged father, her trust fractures. Is Tessy a threat, a savior, or something far more dangerous? Trapped in a web of half-truths and unspoken fears, Lisa must unravel the mystery before the love she thought was unbreakable collapses entirely. Whispers in Maplewood is a gripping tale of passion, betrayal, and the devastating cost of secrets—where every smile hides a motive, and the line between salvation and sabotage is terrifyingly thin.

The results of the arts entrance exam have been released. All seven colleges that my best friend, Nicole Porter, applied to have rejected her. If she wants to get into college, she'll have to work hard on her general admission exams. So, I seek out my boyfriend, Preston Nolin, who's the top of our year, and ask him to tutor Nicole. However, Preston, who has always been mild-tempered, seems extremely reluctant to do so. "Fi, you've helped Nicole out far too many times over the past few years. When she couldn't pay her school fees, you were the one who paid them for her using the prize money you won from the competitions. "When Nicole's sexist parents caused a ruckus at school, you were the one who called the police on them. But because of that, her family got their revenge on you and almost left you blind in your left eye. "Now, Nicole can't even get into any of the seven colleges she applied to. Since she's not book-smart, she should just drop out of high school and find a job. This outcome is the best for everyone involved." Preston and I have been in a relationship for three years. Yet, this is my first time getting mad at him. "Nikki is my best friend as well as the most important person in my life! You're not allowed to badmouth her like this! Since you don't want to help her at all, then we might as well break up!" In order to avoid breaking up with me, Preston has no choice but to comply. Later on, Nicole's grades keep improving by leaps and bounds. I've also worked hard in my studies, resulting in me getting pretty decent grades in my College Entrance Examination. In fact, I've hit the threshold where I can attend one of the most prestigious colleges in the state with Preston. But when there's barely a minute left before the deadline is up, Nicole changes my dream college to the top college in the country, one that I'm definitely not qualified for. As for Preston, he just watches Nicole tamper with my application without showing any intention of stopping her.

Who said perfection was overrated? To Mattie Wilcox, Brad Sumners has always been the epitome of perfect-the perfect football star, the perfect poker player, the perfect high school crush. But who knew crushes could last so long? Because all these years, Mattie's still as hung up on Brad as she was when she was younger. She knows she has to get over him....but how? When Brad suddenly shows up on her doorstep asking for help, Mattie knows what she has to do. After all she's never been one to turn away a friend in need...and with luck, she'll take care of a few needs of her own. This is her chance to get Brad out of her system for good. And she's sure they'll both find the experience perfectly satisfying....

Katniss Redwood was an 18-year-old rogue shewolf who was unaware of her true origin. She was petite and fragile, with long black hair that made her large emerald-green eyes stand out. Alexander was the 23-year-old Alpha of the Black Stone Pack. He was strong, athletic and tall, with blond hair and eyes as blue as a summer sky. Michael was the Black Stone Pack Beta. Unlike the Alpha, his best friend, he had dark brown hair and hazel eyes, but he was tall and athletic like his alpha. He was 22 years old. Katniss enters the Black Stone Pack when fleeing from rogues who were chasing her with bad intentions. She didn\'t imagine that her whole life would change. Alexander is her mate, and she ends up becoming the Luna of the pack. Michael was in love with Alexander from a young age, but never revealed his feelings to his friend. Can the love of the three survive the strange circumstance that keeps them together?

Nocturne Ville, as beautiful as the mystery city might be, has always been a magnet for supernaturals in an alternate America. Although neighbouring cities dismissed the bizarre happenings as fables, its citizens knew that there was more to the lovely metropolis than meets the eye, but they preferred to be oblivious to the reality. It was much simpler. There she was in the centre of it all. Desirée Doyle, who had the gentle and luminous aura of an empyrean creature, was divided between accepting the obvious reality and remaining convinced that everything was a myth. All she cared about was finishing college and escaping Nocturne Ville, which was the source of all her problems. Desirée was just interested in keeping her head down as usual, but the appearance of the intriguing André Baudelaire, a Vampire, appeared to be the solution to the hole she had always felt. Their encounter made Desirée rethink everything she had always believed, entangling them in a web of hot passion that André was determined to deny to the ends of the world, given his hatred for commitment as a result of his instability over decades. How can a quiet girl who has always felt incomplete manage the supernatural world? Will she accept the heat and commotion that comes with it, or will she flee to the hills?

I married the man I believed was perfect, but the illusion shattered. His betrayal came with an affair and when I confronted him, he called me barren and delusional. In my need for revenge, I had a one night stand with a mysterious man and he became my little obsession. Aria Nicole is known as the "queen of romance," a New-York best-selling marriage author celebrated for her wisdom on love and relationships. But behind closed doors, her own four-year marriage is void of passion, and the spark she writes about feels like a lie. On her fourth wedding anniversary, Aria’s carefully crafted world crumbles when she catches her husband in bed with his secretary. Heartbroken and desperate for escape, she finds herself at a nightclub. What begins as a night of sadness ends in unexpected turns, a one-night stand with a mysterious man. He became her little addiction but what happened when her family is strongly against their relationship and she is forced to chose.

They were the cause of murders in their place, their territory was known to be precarious. They are struggling to blend in, for the world is against them. Cases unsolved and lives at risk, who will survive at the end?

For a full decade, my billionaire husband and my best friend were locked in a vicious feud. Jordan Skinner had deliberately run Giselle Parson over with his car, shattering her leg. In retaliation, Giselle had smashed a baseball bat into his head, leaving him deaf in one ear. I rushed around to care for them and bitterly pleaded with them to stop fighting. Ironuton's high society laughed about it behind our backs—the all-powerful CEO and the proud heiress tearing the city apart, with pathetic little me trapped helplessly in the middle. After yet another heated argument, they abandoned me on a remote mountain during a camping trip. A passing drifter found me and brutally assaulted me. When they finally located me, Jordan flew into a rage and broke the man's legs, while Giselle crushed his groin. They held me tightly and wept, swearing a truce on the spot. From then on, they joined forces to spoil me, turning me into the happiest woman in Ironuton. On our third anniversary, I prepared chicken soup and carried it to Jordan's office. Through the narrow crack, I saw Giselle straddling him, moving with raw desire. "These past few years... I only ever feel anything when it's with you, Jordan," she said, her voice dripping with lust. "That night, when Jane was being tortured by that drifter on the mountain, we were down in the valley cabin using this same position, weren't we?" Jordan smacked her backside, warning, "Shut up, Giselle. We owe her. If you let her find out the truth, I'll show you no mercy." The thermos slipped from my fingers and crashed to the floor. Jordan froze mid-motion and looked up to see me standing there.

Once again, my wife, Claire Winters, stabbed me with a silver needle. A reporter tracked me down and asked, "Louis Sterling, wasn't your wife, Claire, one of the winners of the National Inspiration Awards from ten years ago? She won the reward for saving you during the earthquake and ending up paralyzed from the waist down, right?" I stayed quiet for a moment, then nodded. "Louis, we're from a TV station, and we're producing a tenth anniversary special about the earthquake." I rubbed my arm, which was covered in tiny needle marks, and looked her straight in the eye. I replied, "That's fine, but can you keep the cameras discreet? Claire isn't used to being in front of so many lenses." However, I never expected that on the very first day of the live broadcast, I would be dragged onto the trending charts and torn apart online.