Currently writing a Trent centric fic and im adding a whole bunch of back story that I feel like is missing between him and Anton Mercer and just to make sense as to why Anton treats Trent the way he does for what seems to be like years before the Incident™️ on the island happened and I feel like I just cracked the code.
Because according to Anton he has a very painful past that he doesnt even share with Trent and we as the audience dont even get to know, but what we do know is that Anton was very good friends with Trent's biological parents before they died, to the point that they made Anton Trent's godfather before they passed and they specifically wanted him to raise Trent in the event thay they passed away.
My interpretation is that while Anton was a fixture in Trent's life as his awkward uncle-figure, Anton never really had any expectations that he was ever going to raise a child, especially not his best friends child. So when they unexpectedly died from the cave-in and Anton took Trent in Anton was in way over his head and also grieving the loss of two of the closest people in his life. He had no idea what to do with a grieving child, so the only thing he did do was essentially throw money at the problems in front of him. He had Trent sent to top of the boarding schools, he had Trent in as many extra curricular activities as possible (Trent did particularly well in the marital arts department), and all the while Anton focused on his company and went on digs to essentially run away from his grief.
This, however, accomplished that Trent would be sort of distant with Anton, obviously grateful for taking him in and caring for him but he is also missing that father-son bond, eventually growing kind of resentful with Anton. Years pass and by the time both Anton and Trent have come to terms with their grief there was this big divide that Anton didn't know how to cross, but by the time Anton decided he wanted to do something about it the Incident™️ happened, changing the trajectory of both of their lives.
