Question

at the moment they mistrust us, perhaps even ______ us, but their feelings toward us are new and thus shallow. stem satisfy navigate begrudge

Explanation:

The context shows a stronger - feeling word is needed to follow "mistrust". "Stem" is not relevant here. "Navigate" is about finding one's way. "Surfacy" is not a real word. "Despise" means to feel contempt or a deep repugnance, which is a stronger negative emotion than mistrust, fitting the context.

Answer:

Despise