Chapter 28: Seducing Arthur Sandlin

"Naomi, what am I going to do? I'm still over twenty thousand short for the surgery. How am I supposed to come up with that kind of money in just a few days? If I can't get it, my dad's life will be in danger." I looked at Naomi, my voice shaking with panic. Tears poured down my face, hot and uncontrollable. The thought of losing my dad wrapped itself around my chest like a vice. "Serena, don't cry. We'll figure something out, I promise. And doctors always make things sound worse than they are. Your dad's condition might not be as serious as they said. Just take a breath, and we'll get through this." Naomi pulled me into a hug, whispering words of comfort. I knew she was only trying to keep me from falling apart. But none of it helped. My dad needed that money to survive, and I had no way to get it. Was I really going just to stand by and watch him die? "Serena, don't you know Arthur Sandlin? He's the richest man in LA. He definitely has money." Just when I had hit rock bottom, Naomi b