 Born Alexander Cambias, Jr., Zach was mistreated by his father and made to believe that he was responsible for his mother's death.At age 18, he faked his own death and started a new life as Zach Slater, going on to own a thriving casino business in Las Vegas where he befriended Erica Kane, when she was on the run after becoming the suspect for the murder of Zach's brother Michael Cambias (who raped and impregnated her lesbian daughter Bianca Montgomery) and Zach offered her a contract to work as a showgirl at his casino while he kept an eye on Erica and researched everything about her family and her history in Pine Valley.He later moved to Pine Valley to try to reunite with his old flame Maria Santos.