Tyler (Davis) and his older sister Leslie (Valerie) grew up in Milwaukee. After changing their names and starting a new life, they claimed to be from Detroit, that their mother died when they were children, and that they were raised by an abusive father.
Leslie grew up to work as a legal associate with the high profile California attorney Vance Abrams. Leslie occasionally accompanied Vance to Genoa City when he was representing Victor Newman, and she later represented Victor and others when Vance was unavailable, not necessarily in this order:
Leslie was hired by Sharon Newman when Adam Newman was arrested for the murder of his wife Skye. Sharon tracked down the still-alive Skye to Hawaii, but Skye fell into a volcano and died before Sharon could bring her back to Genoa City to prove Adam's innocence. Leslie believed Sharon, but the police assumed she had made up the story as an attempt to free Adam. But after Jack Abbott found evidence in Hawaii that Skye had been there since her supposed death, the evidence got Adam released from jail and cleared of all charges in Skye’s death. But then Sharon was charged with Skye's death in the volcano, and Leslie was hired to represent Sharon. Sharon was later vindicated when a video of the incident which was taken by another tourist proved her innocent, and that she had tried to save Skye when she fell.
After Sharon married Victor and he abandoned her on their wedding night and later returned asking for an annulment, Sharon told Leslie to pursue the abandonment, that there would be no annulment, and that she would fight like hell to get what she deserved.
Leslie also represented Adam again when he was charged with stock manipulation.
Phyllis Newman hired Leslie to arrange for Daisy Carter to turn herself in and petition the court to get back her parental rights to her daughter Lucy who was fathered by Phyllis' son, Daniel. Daniel had allowed Lucy to be adopted by Billy and Victoria Abbott. Leslie pointed out that Daisy was only accused, not convicted, of crimes, and that both Victoria and Billy had recently been arrested as well, that Victoria had lost custody of her son Reed, and Billy's ex-wife was suing for custody of their daughter Delia. So Daisy was given back her parental rights, although Phyllis was given temporary custody of Lucy, when Daisy went to jail.
Neil Winters had been attracted to Leslie, and feeling guilty for turning on his former boss and friend, Victor, Neil ended up picking up Leslie at the Athletic Club bar and taking her home for sex. But Neil aborted it when he kept thinking about his brother Malcolm's girlfriend Sofia instead. But later Leslie accompanied Neil to Malcolm and Sofia's wedding as his date.
Phyllis was arrested for running down Paul Williams and Christine Blair twenty years prior. Phyllis' lawyer, her sister Avery, found out that Phyllis had been paying off Tim Reid, a witness, so Avery refused to represent her. Then Phyllis hired Leslie, who had been promoted to partner in Vance Abrams law firm, to take her case. The case was later dropped due to statute of limitations running out.
After Neil accepted the CEO position at Jabot Cosmetics from Jack Abbott, he hired his daughter Lily as head of the Jabot marketing team, made Cane his right hand man, and hired Devon as a marketing intern. He then asked Leslie to become Jabot's chief legal advisor. She initially turned down the position due to their prior romantic relationship, but after assuring each other that it would be strictly business, Leslie accepted the position. Devon and Lily began promoting their romantic relationship again to help loosen Neil up.
Leslie's younger brother, Tyler, a successful graphic designer who wanted a job at Jabot, made a pitch to Neil and Jack. Tyler was hired to work for Cane, who was jealous because Tyler kept flirting with Lily.
Concerned that Jack was addicted to pain killers, and he would lose the only parent he had left, Kyle got Phyllis, Billy, and former alcoholic Neil to help stage an intervention. But Jack claimed they had insulted him, fired them all, and threw them out of his house. Jack made Cane acting CEO of Jabot. His first task was to fire Tyler, but Lily later convinced Cane to give Tyler another shot. Leslie guessed and admired Neil for overcoming his alcoholic past, and now that they were no longer working for the same company, fulfilled their sexual desire for each other. Lily and Cane were pleasantly surprised to find Neil and Leslie together in his apartment the next morning. Cane let Neil know that as CEO of Jabot, he was putting Neil in charge without the title for the sake of Jabot. Once Neil and Leslie were working together again, Leslie tried to call things off, but found it difficult to resist, so they became lovers again.
Leslie spoke with Tyler of the affair she once had with a client, James Conrad, and how he became controlling, and had taken over her life. Leslie and Tyler admitted to each other that they shared a past that a background check would easily expose, which was why they hadn’t gotten involved with anyone seriously. Leslie spotted Congressman Wheeler and cautioned Tyler that he was in town, reminding him that he may recognize them from twelve years ago. Tyler pushed the envelope by engaging the Congressman in conversation but was not recognized. But when Wheeler ran into Leslie at Jabot on his way to meet with Jack, and called her "Valerie", she took him aside and asked him to call her Leslie, saying that she and her brother "Davis" had changed their names to escape their past. Wheeler agreed that it had been a good move.
As time went by, and through various encounters with Wheeler, it came out that Leslie and Tyler's mother, Belinda, had been a campaign worker for Congressman Wheeler and had been murdered. Leslie had testified that she had walked in on her father Gus kneeling over her mother's body. Wheeler's testimony had also helped to Gus in prison for the past twelve years. Gus had a criminal past, and had turned state's evidence on his cohorts to get a lighter sentence. Avery Bailey Clark was working on an appeal for the Innocence Foundation to prove Gus innocent and free him. When Victor failed to get Avery to drop the case, Wheeler went to her and offered to help, saying that if Gus went free it would be bad for Wheeler's credibility, but Avery rejected his help. Wheeler began trying to talk Leslie and Tyler into testifying, warning them that if the man was ever freed, they would all be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. Leslie eventually broke down and admitted the truth to Neil about her past, adding that she and Tyler had changed their names as teenagers when they went to California to live with an aunt. Neil later stopped Leslie from leaving town after receiving a call on her cell phone from Gus, and talked her into going to see Gus in prison. Gus told Leslie his side of what had happened, admitting that he had always been drunk and rough with her mother, and that he had confronted her that day about her having an affair. But he swore he did not kill Belinda, and had only just found her after having been attacked and near death when Leslie walked in. Looking in his eyes, Leslie believed him, but Tyler could not be convinced that it was true, even after he went to visit their father himself. Leslie told Wheeler that she believed her father was innocent and intended to testify on his behalf. From Wheeler's over-reaction and when he called her mother Lin, Leslie realized Wheeler was probably the man with whom her mother was having an affair.
Gus Rogan's hearing was held, Leslie testified for Gus, and Tyler testified against him. Awaiting the verdict, Lily reduced Tyler to tears getting him to remember the good parts of his childhood, and tried to convince him to entertain the possibility that Gus might actually be innocent. Tyler surprised everyone when he brought Gus home from Milwaukee, and Leslie invited Gus to live in her apartment with her. But Tyler walked out on what appeared to be a happy family brunch, and went back to work. Sharing his mixed feelings for his father with Lily, he kissed her. Lily got into it, then broke it off, excusing him because he was drunk. Lily told Tyler that it was never to happen again. Tyler admitted he cared for Lily, and that she was the only person he could trust.
Gus made his famous spaghetti dinner for Leslie and Neil, happy that he was being given second chance, and promised to become a changed man. Leslie hugged him, and Gus suffered a heart attack. Gus awoke in the hospital saying, "I'm so sorry, Rose." When Leslie questioned him about it, Gus claimed he knew no one by that name and that Leslie must have misheard. Leslie became convinced that the small cardboard box Gus had brought with him from prison contained his secrets. Inside she found a pack of letters sent to Gus in prison from an R. Turner, in Chicago. After reading the letters where Rose said she loved him, Leslie confronted Gus, who swore he had never been unfaithful to their mother. Gus admitted that he had been with Rose because she needed him at the time their mother was killed. Tyler took his side, telling Leslie to cut him a break. Gus became agitated trying to explain about Rose, had another heart attack, and died.
After Neil's apartment was ransacked and only a flash drive containing sensitive Jabot files was missing, a story about Leslie hiding her secret past hit the Internet.
