Adela Corinthos was born in Cuba, and as a young girl she loved going to the ballet. However, her life was not easy, and as a young woman she escaped her family home and made her way to New York City. According to her eldest son, Sonny Corinthos, his mother had fled things that had haunted her for the rest of her life, but she had never talked about it.

Shortly after arriving in the United States, Adela met and married a serviceman named Michael Corinthos, and they settled down in Bensonhurst to raise their son, Michael "Sonny" Corinthos Jr. Unfortunately, Mike had a terrible gambling problem, and he'd often disappear for days on end squandering the struggling young family's meager savings. After a few years, Mike stopped returning home, and Adela divorced him. After Adela's death, Mike resurfaced, and he went by the name Mike Corbin.

To make ends meet, Adela had taken a job working as a secretary for attorney Trevor Lansing. He was stuck in a loveless marriage, and he had been instantly smitten with his beautiful new employee. Before long, Adela returned Trevor's feelings. When Adela found out that she was pregnant, Trevor filed for divorce, and he moved Adela and her young son into his summer cottage in Martha's Vineyard, but things did not go well. Sonny didn't like his mother's fiancé, and Sonny often acted out.

One day, Adela was trying to get Sonny ready, but he was being fussy and jerked out of her grasp as they stood at the top of the stairs. Adela lost her footing, and she took a tumble. She was banged up, but her pregnancy remained safe. However, Trevor was furious, and he accused Sonny of attempting to kill the unborn baby out of jealousy and spite. Later, while Adela had been recovering from the fall, Trevor falsely accused Sonny of turning violent with him. In truth, Trevor had been the one to slap the young boy.

Trevor claimed that he feared for the safety of his newborn son, Richard "Ric" Lansing. He gave Adela an ultimatum: Trevor and Ric, or Sonny. Adela refused to give Sonny up for adoption, so she left Ric with Trevor then returned to Bensonhurst with Sonny. Trevor raised his son to believe the worst about Sonny. Ric grew up to despise his brother for not being able to share their mother. Meanwhile, Sonny was indifferent to the brother that he'd long forgotten, but as their feud heated up, Sonny was often tempted to kill Ric. It was Sonny's love for Adela that had stopped him.

Adela's life continued to spiral. In 1976, She married a man named Deke Woods. On the outside, Deke appeared like the ideal husband and father. Deke was a respected police officer who had mentored troubled young men like Marcus Taggert, an early nemesis of Sonny's. However, Deke hid an ugly secret; he was a violent man who had tortured Sonny and Adela with physical and psychological abuse until one day Deke had gone too far. Adela had been so severely beaten that she had landed in the hospital then passed away from her injuries.

Sonny was devasted because he hadn't been home to protect his mother. Adela had persuaded her teenaged son to move out to escape Deke's abuse. Sonny's fury mounted when Deke's friends on the police force had once again covered up Deke's abuse. Local mobster, Joe Scully, had taken Sonny under his wing, so Joe had arranged for Deke to be killed one night in an alley. Sonny joined Joe's organization, and he never looked back. He grew to become one of the most powerful mob bosses in the country, keeping a tight hold on the eastern seaboard for decades with the help of his loyal enforcer, Jason Morgan. In time, Sonny also amassed a considerable fortune as a coffee importer.

Trevor had reconciled with his wife, and together they had raised Ric, but Ric's stepmother had been resentful of him. Ric followed in his father's footsteps, and he became a successful attorney in his own right. However, Ric struggled to overcome his father's poisonous words. Ric both despised and admired his brother, and Ric's relationship with Sonny remained rocky throughout their lives.